Elon Musk Claims He Will Vote Republican in Next Election

spaminator

Hall of Fame Member
Oct 26, 2009
37,496
3,274
113
Elon Musk denies he sexually harassed flight attendant on private jet
Article quoted anonymous person who said she was a friend of accuser

Author of the article:Reuters
Reuters
Publishing date:May 20, 2022 • 17 hours ago • 3 minute read • 68 Comments

Tesla Inc Chief Executive Elon Musk has denounced as “utterly untrue” claims in a news report that he sexually harassed a flight attendant on a private jet in 2016.


Shares of the electric carmaker skidded more than 10% on Friday amid concerns that the alleged sexual misconduct and Musk’s political comments could threaten to damage Tesla’s brand and sales.

Business Insider reported on Thursday that Musk’s private company SpaceX paid $250,000 in 2018 to settle a sexual harassment claim from an unnamed private jet flight attendant who accused Musk of exposing himself to her.

The article quoted an anonymous person who said she was a friend of the flight attendant. The friend had provided a statement as part of the private settlement process, according to the article.

“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,” Musk tweeted late on Thursday.


Reuters was not able to verify the Business Insider account.

Musk and SpaceX did not respond to Reuters requests for comment on the Business Insider story or on tweets by the billionaire.

In a statement to Reuters on Friday, Business Insider said: “We stand by our story which is based on documents and interviews and which speaks for itself.”

The sexual misconduct claims “have the potential from a PR perspective to turn people off,” said Guidehouse Insights analyst Sam Abuelsamid.

Friday’s share drop knocked about $66 billion off Tesla’s market value and put the stock at its lowest since last August.

The shares have fallen sharply since early April as Musk’s plan to buy Twitter sparked concerns about distraction and as China’s COVID lockdown measures hurt production at Tesla.


Ross Gerber, CEO of Tesla investor Gerber Kawasaki Wealth Management, said he is concerned that Tesla relies so heavily on a single person, Musk, but he believes his liberal clients will continue buying Musk’s cars, even if they don’t like what he says, since Tesla’s mission is clear.

POLITICAL ATTACKS?
Business Insider quoted the friend of the flight attendant as saying that in addition to allegedly exposing himself, Musk rubbed the flight attendant’s thigh and offered to buy her a horse if she would “do more” during an in-flight massage.

The flight attendant came to believe that her refusal to accept Musk’s proposal had hurt her opportunities to work at SpaceX and prompted her to hire a lawyer in 2018, according to Business Insider.


In 2018, the rocket company paid $250,000 in exchange for a promise not to sue over the claims and included a nondisclosure agreement that prevented the flight attendant from speaking about it, Business Insider said. The news site did not name the friend or the flight attendant.

Musk, who is in the midst of a contentious effort to buy Twitter Inc, said on Wednesday that he would vote Republican instead of Democrat, predicting a “dirty tricks campaign against me” would follow.

On Thursday evening, Musk first tweeted: “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.”



In the initial tweet, he did not specifically mention the allegations in the Business Insider article.

He also tweeted that the article was meant to interfere with the Twitter acquisition.
 
  • Like
Reactions: taxslave

spaminator

Hall of Fame Member
Oct 26, 2009
37,496
3,274
113
SpaceX president defends Elon Musk against sexual misconduct allegation: Report
Author of the article:Reuters
Reuters
Publishing date:May 23, 2022 • 13 hours ago • 1 minute read • Join the conversation

SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell defended Elon Musk against a sexual misconduct allegation that he has denied, CNBC news reported on Monday.


Business Insider last week reported that Musk’s private rocket company SpaceX paid $250,000 in 2018 to settle a sexual harassment claim from an unnamed private jet flight attendant who accused Musk of exposing himself to her.

“Personally, I believe the allegations to be false; not because I work for Elon, but because I have worked closely with him for 20 years and never seen nor heard anything resembling these allegations,” Shotwell wrote in an email to employees last week, according to the CNBC report.

Musk, CEO of SpaceX, has denied the report of harassment, calling the person who made the claim a liar.

The Business Insider article quoted an anonymous person who said she was a friend of the flight attendant. The friend had provided a statement as part of the private settlement process, according to the article.

SpaceX and Shotwell could not immediately be reached for comment.
 

spaminator

Hall of Fame Member
Oct 26, 2009
37,496
3,274
113
U.S. agency asks Tesla for information on Canadian fire incident
Author of the article:Reuters
Reuters
Publishing date:May 26, 2022 • 11 hours ago • 1 minute read • Join the conversation
Smoke and fire is seen coming from Tesla Model Y in Vancouver in a screengrab of a video posted on YouTube.
Smoke and fire is seen coming from Tesla Model Y in Vancouver in a screengrab of a video posted on YouTube. PHOTO BY SONS OF VANCOUVER DISTILLERY /YouTube
WASHINGTON — The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said on Thursday it has asked Tesla Inc for information about a recent 2021 Tesla Model Y fire in Vancouver in which a driver reported struggling to exit.

The NHTSA told Reuters the agency “is aware of the incident and has reached out to the manufacturer for information.”

Electrek posted a video of the incident in which the owner said he received an error notification and then saw smoke. The driver said that to get out he “had to smash the window. … I kicked through the window because everything stops. The power didn’t work. The door didn’t open. The windows didn’t go down.”

Tesla did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
1653657539027.png