The United States Department of Justice (DOJ) is suing Elon Musk’s SpaceX for allegedly discriminating against non-US citizens in its hiring process. It is the first time the DOJ has ever sued a tech company for such a violation.
The lawsuit, which was filed in federal court in California on Tuesday, accuses SpaceX of discriminating against 283 non-U.S. citizens by refusing to hire them because of their national origin and citizenship status.
The DOJ alleges that SpaceX routinely requested and considered U.S. citizenship status in order to hire employees for certain positions, such as engineers and technicians, even though they were not legally required to do so.
The government’s complaint further cites interviews with former SpaceX employees who describe a culture at the company that favored U.S. citizens. The complaint quotes one employee as saying: “There was an expectation that US citizens would be prioritized for hiring and that naturally citizens of other countries would be excluded or treated as second-class citizens.”
In a statement, SpaceX denied the allegations and stated that it would vigorously defend itself against the lawsuit.
The lawsuit comes at an interesting time, as SpaceX is currently trying to get approval from the Department of Defense to launch its Falcon 9 rocket into space later this year. If the DOJ’s lawsuit is successful, it could hurt the company’s chances of getting the necessary approval.
It will be interesting to see how this case unfolds in the days and weeks to come. The DOJ will likely push for a court order requiring SpaceX to cease discriminatory practices and pay damages for those affected by the company’s hiring policies. In response, SpaceX could agree to a settlement or fight the lawsuit in court.
Either way, this lawsuit is a reminder that tech companies should be aware of employment and civil rights laws when they are making hiring decisions. Discrimination based on national origin or citizenship status is illegal and should not be tolerated.
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