Former SpaceX worker describes 'frat boy' culture where colleagues joked about overseeing launches while drunk

The culture at Elon Musk's rocket firm has come under growing scrutiny in recent months. 

• An ex-SpaceX employee told Bloomberg that working at SpaceX was like being a "babysitter for frat boys."
• She said some SpaceX employees discussed a drinking game on work email and joked about being intoxicated to oversee launches. 
• The culture at Elon Musk's rocket firm has come under growing scrutiny in recent months.

A new Bloomberg report has shed light on SpaceX's working culture, with a former employee describing her colleagues as "frat boys."

Paige Holland-Thielen, one of a group of former SpaceX employees suing the company over claims of wrongful dismissal, told Bloomberg that employees at Elon Musk's rocket firm used their work email to plan rounds of a drinking game called "nug and chug" in which they would try and consume as many chicken nuggets as possible.

These employees, she said, then joked about drinking heavily before returning to the office to oversee a rocket launch.

Holland-Thielen told Bloomberg that working at SpaceX made her feel like a "babysitter for frat boys," with casual sexism rife. She and her co-plaintiffs filed a civil rights lawsuit against SpaceX in June.

They alleged that Musk personally ordered their firings after they wrote an open letter to SpaceX's management expressing concern over the billionaire's behavior and what they described as a hostile work environment at the company.

Their complaint alleges that female employees at SpaceX were treated as "sexual objects" and said that Musk and other executives appeared in a video screened at one of the company's holiday parties that made light of sexual misconduct.

SpaceX and Musk did not respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.

BI also contacted Holland-Thielen for comment but didn't hear back.

It comes amid increasing scrutiny over SpaceX's working culture. The company has contracts with NASA and the US Department of Defense and is estimated to be valued at $210 billion.

The Wall Street Journal last month reported that Musk was said to have asked one of his direct reports at the company to have his children, citing unnamed sources familiar with the matter.

Business Insider previously reported that SpaceX paid a company flight attendant $250,000 to settle a sexual misconduct claim against Musk in 2018, with the flight attendant accusing Musk of exposing himself to her and offering to buy her a horse in exchange for an erotic massage.

Musk denied the claims made by the flight attendant at the time, calling them "utterly untrue."

Do you work at SpaceX or have a tip? Get in touch with this reporter via email at tcarter@businessinsider.com.