Docs: SpaceX paid $250K to settle a flight attendant's allegation that Elon Musk exposed himself and offered a horse in exchange for an erotic massage in 2016

- A flight attendant for SpaceX said Elon Musk asked her to “do more” during a massage, documents show.

Insider 2022-05-20 Rich McHugh

Context & Ripple Effects

The settlement documents became more consequential when SpaceX employees later circulated an open letter describing Musk's behavior as a workplace distraction; related coverage says the company then fired employees who helped distribute that letter. A later report describing blurred boundaries with female SpaceX employees places the allegation within a broader record of workplace-conduct claims tied to Musk.

The immediate importance is not the payment alone but that SpaceX, as Musk's employer, is directly attached to a documented resolution of an allegation involving its most prominent executive.

First-order effects

SpaceX is identified as the party that paid to resolve the flight attendant's 2016 allegation, making the matter a company workplace-governance issue as well as a personal allegation against Musk.
Musk faces a documented allegation that links his conduct toward a SpaceX worker to a settlement paid by the company.

Second-order effects

The subsequent dismissal of employees who circulated the open letter puts SpaceX's handling of internal criticism alongside the underlying conduct allegations, raising the stakes for employees seeking to challenge leadership behavior.
Later reporting on alleged boundary issues with female employees gives future complaints a documented reference point rather than treating the flight attendant's account as an isolated workplace episode.

Third-order effects

If allegations involving founder conduct and employee retaliation continue to be reported together, governance at founder-led private companies is likely to be judged increasingly through their internal reporting and accountability practices, not only through the founder's personal actions.

The trend: The story is part of a broader shift in which allegations about powerful founders' conduct become corporate-governance questions when employers fund settlements and control employee dissent.

Discussion

@elonmusk Elon Musk on x
The attacks against me should be viewed through a political lens - this is their standard (despicable) playbook - but nothing will deter me from fighting for a good future and your right to free speech
@johnjcook John Cook on x
For those interested, we reached out to the principals for comment regarding this story at ~9 a.m. eastern yesterday (Wednesday May 18).
@elonmusk Elon Musk on x
@TaraBull808 And, for the record, those wild accusations are utterly untrue
@popehat @popehat on x
When Mr. “I Am A Super Genius So I Can Do Anything Better Than So-Called Experts” tries his hand at public relations crisis management https://twitter.com/...
@nichcarlson Nicholas Carlson on x
A SpaceX flight attendant said Elon Musk exposed himself and propositioned her for sex, documents show. The company paid $250,000 for her silence. https://www.businessinsider.com/ ... via @businessinsider
@elonmusk Elon Musk on x
@TaraBull808 But I have a challenge to this liar who claims their friend saw me “exposed” - describe just one thing, anything at all (scars, tattoos, ...) that isn't known by the public. She won't be able to do so, because it never happened.
@ashleyfeinberg Ashley Feinberg on x
if i didn't want people to think there were countless other stories out there like this i probably would have rephrased but that's just me! https://www.businessinsider.com/ ... https://twitter.com/...
@clarajeffery Clara Jeffery on x
This from a great editor at the Insider re timing of them seeking comment ... https://twitter.com/... and note time stamp https://twitter.com/...
@lebassett Laura Bassett on x
Imagine exposing yourself to someone who's clearly not into you, offering to buy them a horse in exchange for sex, them still saying no, and then paying them $250K not to tell anyone. The utter humiliation of that existence. https://www.businessinsider.com/ ...
@pixelatedboat @pixelatedboat on x
Just as Elon Musk predicted, now that he's a Republican his political enemies are smearing him by making him pay $250,000 four years ago to settle a sexual misconduct claim
@elonmusk Elon Musk on x
Finally, we get to use Elongate as scandal name. It's kinda perfect. 🤣 https://twitter.com/...
@kimmasters Kim Masters on x
So much for being an officer of any public company. And I would think there's a good chance more will come forward. https://twitter.com/...
@tedfrank @tedfrank on x
Fwiw, doesn't look very damning to me. A $250,000 payment is a shakedown nuisance settlement. It would have cost Musk more in time and money to litigate the case—and he might not have bothered to pay under current law that precluded the NDA implicit extortion. https://twitter.com…
@popehat @popehat on x
“Okay. How about $54.20 a share AND a sweet horse?” “Dude, just walk away.”
@wagatwe @wagatwe on x
Ah, that's why he has been flailing about wokes and warning about being “under attack” https://www.businessinsider.com/ ...
@parasocialyte @parasocialyte on x
very normal and not suspicious at all to pay someone $250,000 to silence them from coming forward with “utterly untrue” accusations https://twitter.com/...
@kenklippenstein Ken Klippenstein on x
It's always the people you most suspect
@chad_hurley Chad Hurley on x
The emperor has no clothes... with a boner and he'll give you a horse! Magnificent @elonmusk!
@lopezlinette Linette Lopez on x
SpaceX had to pay a flight attendant $250K bc @elonmusk thinks that “if you're a star they let you do it,” I guess. https://www.businessinsider.com/ ...
@cathygellis Cathy Gellis on x
So the allegations are true then. https://twitter.com/...
@mavenofmayhem @mavenofmayhem on x
Yesterday, Musk tweeted “Political attacks on me will escalate dramatically in coming months.” Just a hunch, but this might have something to do with it. https://www.businessinsider.com/ ...
@karacarlson2 @karacarlson2 on x
now deleted: https://twitter.com/...
@marypcbuk Mary Branscombe on x
ponying up for frisky business? https://twitter.com/...
@goadgatsby @goadgatsby on x
Paying a flight attendant a quarter of a million dollars on severance because it's all untrue https://twitter.com/...
@nicoleeinbinder Nicole Einbinder on x
Musk is currently in a bid to purchase Twitter, due to his professed beliefs about free speech. He recently wrote on Twitter that “sunlight is the best disinfectant.” Yet, SpaceX paid $250,000 for the flight attendant's silence. https://twitter.com/...
@davidfrum David Frum on x
The only mega-rich and mega-famous person who is not sunk in bottomless self-pity victimhood is Queen Elizabeth II. We will so miss her when she's gone - after that, it's going to be 100% “poor me” from all the people on this earth with the least to complain about https://twitter…
@sarahjeong Sarah Jeong on x
and you fucking bet it was all Instagram models plus his ex-wife 😭😭😭😭 😭😭😭😭
@jowiph Jon Phillips on x
Everyone is (rightly) talking about Musk showing his dick, but I want to highlight the context that SpaceX flight attendants *WERE PRESSURED TO BECOME LICENSED MASSEUSES FOR ELON MUSK AND OTHER EXECS ON THEIR OWN DIME* https://www.businessinsider.com/ ...
@eriqgardner Eriq Gardner on x
“If I were inclined to engage in sexual harassment, this is unlikely to be the first time in my entire 30-year career that it comes to light.” Um, not the usual lawyer-vetted dry response to a sexual misconduct story. https://www.businessinsider.com/ ...
@ashtonpittman Ashton Pittman on x
Insider reached out to Musk at 9 am EST yesterday. His tweet about incoming “political attacks” was a little over two hours later at 12:22 pm EST. https://twitter.com/...
@internethippo @internethippo on x
his only argument for this whole soap opera is that the timing of the sexual harassment allegations is suspicious but it's not clear why. his enemies want to derail his twitter deal, which he himself is presently trying to weasel out of? https://twitter.com/...
@sawyerhackett Sawyer Hackett on x
Elon Musk is a passionate believer in free speech, just not for the women he silenced with hush money after exposing himself to them. https://www.businessinsider.com/ ...
@apollozac @apollozac on x
oh wow https://twitter.com/...
@joemcken @joemcken on x
@sarahjeong @Popehat “On the site where people post their thoughts & opinions, he doesn't follow any women; but on the site where people post photos of themselves looking cute & sexy, he follows mostly women” is ... not the defense against claims of sexism these PR professionals …
@mmasnick Mike Masnick on x
A story about what you did, and paid to hush up is not an attack. It's journalism. Which is, in fact, free speech. Speaking of free speech, the report says she was made to sign an NDA. Which seems kinda not very free speechy. But, sure, go on. https://twitter.com/...
@sarahjeong Sarah Jeong on x
I once did a fun cute little blog about how elon musk follows zero women on Twitter (not even his own mother). I asked SpaceX and Tesla for comment because duh and they (the PR professionals!!!) came back to me with “but he follows more women than men on Instagram.” https://twitt…
@willoremus Will Oremus on x
Musk's initial public response to the story is not a denial https://twitter.com/...
@michaelharriot Michael Harriot on x
All they have is allegations, emails & testimony corroborating the allegations, records of a financial settlement & a tacit admission to the settlement by Musk & Space X. But according to MuskTwitter, this is clearly a political hit job. I'm just hoping they call it “Elongate” ht…
@johniadarola John Iadarola on x
If I had gotten wind that this was finally going public, I probably would have rushed to publicly identify with the party that literally never believes women, too https://www.businessinsider.com/ ... via @businessinsider
@willoremus Will Oremus on x
OK obviously I'm late to this but how wild is it that Insider contacted Elon for comment yesterday morning, and by yesterday afternoon he was publicly announcing that he's become a Republican and to expect politically motivated “dirty tricks” from the left in retribution?
@benadida Ben Adida on x
Nothing against horses but, if you're trying to convince/coerce me to do something, offering me a horse is not going to help. https://twitter.com/...
@marlownyc Marlow Stern on x
looks like this is the story elon musk was trying to get ahead of, and it's a damning one https://www.businessinsider.com/ ...
@sethabramson Seth Abramson on x
Who is “they”? And @ElonMusk, how is a major-media report you can either confirm or deny—and have thus far refused to do either—an “attack”? You have a feed with millions of readers: if you want to call this SpaceX employee a liar, *do it*. Or are you afraid she'll sue if you do?…
@timobrien Tim O'Brien on x
Sounding very Trumpy. https://twitter.com/...
@andizeisler Andi Zeisler on x
My “If I were going to sexually harass ONE person, wouldn't I probably also sexually harass A LOT of people?” t-shirt is raising a lot of questions already answered by the t-shirt https://twitter.com/...
@dennisjromero Dennis Romero on x
I mean, he is a genius. ‘Clairvoyant’ even. https://twitter.com/...
@goldengateblond Shauna on x
tldr a dude known for bullying and misogyny was exactly as advertised https://www.businessinsider.com/ ...
@moorehn Heidi N. Moore on x
Instagram follows are always the giveaway https://twitter.com/...
@drmistercody Cody Johnston on x
& Dogecoin https://twitter.com/...
@jscros Jack Crosbie on x
billionaires using massages as gateways to sex crimes on private jets is an awfully familiar trope at this point https://www.businessinsider.com/ ...

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