Elon Musk had a sexual relationship with a SpaceX employee who started at the company as an intern and was later hired shortly after finishing school before calling it quits, according to a report.
Musk, whose fortune was estimated by the Bloomberg Billionaires Index at $198 billion as of Wednesday, has also had relationships with other female subordinates at his rocket company, including a woman the tycoon asked to wear his children, the Wall Street Journal reported. Tuesday.
The tycoon also carried on a months-long sexual relationship with a third woman who reported directly to SpaceX before the two severed ties, according to the report.
The third woman and Musk became romantically involved after she was accused of having an affair with the husband of another SpaceX executive, it was reported.
The Post requested comment from SpaceX and Musk.
Musk first met the then-intern in the early 2010s, when she was an engineering student.
According to the Journal, Musk and the woman went out for a meal after she sent him ideas on how to improve the company.
Musk and the woman kissed after the two bonded over their love of “Star Wars,” according to the report.
A year later, Musk arranged for the woman to be flown to a resort in Sicily where the two met, the Journal claimed. Musk was in Sicily to attend a conference sponsored by Google.
The woman’s passport was in another city, so Musk arranged for a friend of the woman to bring it to her on an early morning domestic flight, according to the Journal.
The woman was then booked on a first class flight to London and then a private jet to Italy, it was reported.
In 2017, Musk offered the woman a role on his management team.
Former SpaceX employees found it odd that someone so young would be offered a high-level position close to the boss, according to the report.
After moving from New York to Los Angeles, the woman accepted an invitation from Musk for drinks.
Her friends told the Journal that Musk approached her and touched her breast.
One of her friends said the woman remembered Musk telling her, “Oh, I’m so bad.” I shouldn’t do this.
“Elon tried to rekindle our relationship before I was hired and I rejected that advance. Although there was some discomfort initially, it was nothing out of the ordinary after a refusal,” the woman said in a sworn statement provided to the Journal by a law firm that also represents Musk and Tesla .
According to the Journal, the woman, who denied having a “romantic relationship” with Musk, said she was unhappy at SpaceX because she had no authority and also had difficulty convincing others leaders to take his ideas seriously.
The situation became so bad that on several occasions she hid in the company bathroom, the Journal reported.
In the affidavit provided to the Journal, the woman said her feelings about working at SpaceX “were completely unrelated to any romantic or personal interactions with Elon Musk.”
“I found myself in a very challenging role as a newcomer to an established company,” she said in the affidavit.
As she struggled to establish herself at the company, she visited Musk at his home after the boss frequently texted her, according to a friend.
“Come!” Musk would text him. When she didn’t respond, he continued to text.
“Look, it’s either me or 6am (exercise) :),” he wrote on one occasion.
On another occasion, Musk texted: “Just finished the Model 3 production call. This is definitely going to be hell for several more months.”
“Are you coming? Otherwise I’ll probably calm down. Too stressed to sleep naturally,” Musk wrote to her.
When Musk’s text messages went unanswered, he wrote, “Probably better if we don’t see each other.” »
The next morning, the woman texted him back, “Oh man. I’m sorry, I had already fallen asleep. I’ve been a night person most of my life, but I’ve tried to change because it feels responsible. Tbh. Sorry, I crashed last night.
Later that day, the girl confided to a friend that she suffered from “mild (social) anxiety resulting from imposter syndrome” which “definitely makes this job more difficult.”
“And it’s definitely exacerbated by Elon’s behavior,” her friend responded. The woman replied, “So bad.” »
She said Musk showed a lack of interest in her job, which made the job more difficult, according to the Journal.
The awkwardness with Musk ultimately led her to leave Musk’s management. She was reassigned to another role in which she reported to another engineer, according to the Journal.
In 2019, when her manager was the victim of massive layoffs, she left the company.
In 2013, a woman who worked at SpaceX left the company and then re-emerged with a lawyer.
She alleged that Musk repeatedly asked her to have his babies, according to the Journal.
Musk, the father of 10 children, including twins he shared with another SpaceX employee, Shivon Zilis, has often spoken of the need to increase the birth rate in order to save the human population.
After the woman declined Musk’s offer to have his children, the relationship between the two deteriorated, according to the Journal.
Musk often complained about his job performance. He also allegedly refused her a raise.
The woman ultimately left the company with an exit package of more than $1 million in stock and cash, the Journal reported.
A year later, Musk began a sexual relationship with another woman who often spent 17 hours a day at the boss’s side.
Before the relationship with Musk, Gwynne Shotwell, president and COO of SpaceX, had accused her of having an affair with her husband. She denied the allegation.
The woman alleged that when she went to human resources with Shotwell’s allegations, Shotwell retaliated against her by attempting to have her removed from her position.
People close to the woman told the Journal that while Shotwell was working to get her fired, Musk was pushing her closer to him.
The relationship began while Musk was in the middle of divorce negotiations with British actress Talulah Riley.
But it ended weeks later when she confided to friends that she felt used and that Musk had no desire to be seen in public with her.
She left the company and was forced to sign a confidentiality agreement. In exchange, she allegedly received $85,000 for unpaid work she previously did for Tesla.
“The untruths, distortions and revisionist history contained in your email paint a completely misleading narrative,” Shotwell told the Journal.
“I continue to be amazed by what this extraordinary group of people accomplish every day, even in the midst of all the forces working against us. And Elon is one of the best humans I know.
In 2022, a SpaceX flight attendant accused Musk of exposing himself to her aboard one of his private jets in 2016.
The woman was later awarded $250,000 to settle her claim.
News of the allegation and subsequent settlement was first reported by Business Insider.