Hasta La Gadget!

“Those texts make Mike Lindell sound like a levelheaded businessman,” the “Late Night” host said.

SpaceX has fired employees who participated in writing and distributing an open letter criticizing Elon Musk, The New York Times has reported. First revealed yesterday, the letter called Musk’s behavior on social media “a frequent source of distraction and embarrassment” and asked SpaceX to condemn his actions. 

According to three unnamed employees and an email from SpaceX president and COO Gwynne Shotwell seen by the NYT, SpaceX fired some of the letter’s organizers, but there’s no indication of how many were let go.

 “[SpaceX has] terminated a number of employees involved” with the letter, she wrote. “The letter, solicitations and general process made employees feel uncomfortable, intimidated and bullied, and/or angry because the letter pressured them to sign onto something that did not reflect their views. We have too much critical work to accomplish and no need for this kind of overreaching activism.”

The open letter from the employees referenced recent accusations of sexual misconduct involving Musk that reportedly prompted a $250,000 settlement. Musk said the allegations were “utterly untrue” and made a crude joke about some of the details on Twitter. SpaceX defended Musk, with Shotwell saying she “personally” believed the accusations were false.

Another subject in the letter was distractions due to Musk’s Twitter use. In February, the SEC opened an investigation into Musk over possible insider trading, and a court recently ruled that Tesla company lawyers must continue to approve his tweets. (Earlier this week, Musk appealed that decision). Prior to the letter, Musk reportedly told SpaceX employees that they must spend at least 40 hours a week in the office or risk being fired.

In her email, Shotwell added that “blanketing thousands of people across the company with repeated unsolicited emails and asking them to sign letters and fill out unsponsored surveys during the work day is not acceptable. Please stay focused on the SpaceX mission, and use your time to do your best work. This is how we will get to Mars.”

Employees are protected against retaliation by OSHA’s whistleblower rules, but those generally apply to issues like safety, fraud, environmental issues and health insurance. Still, the firings are likely to create another round of controversy involving Musk. 

“I’ve decided I should be on the pardon list, if that is still in the works,” John Eastman wrote to Rudy Giuiani after the Capitol riot.

“They’re so dramatic it’s hard to believe it isn’t scripted,” the “Jimmy Kimmel Live” host said.

The Boring Company’s underground transportation system will be more expansive than what it originally planned. The Elon Musk-founded company has just received approval from the city to bring its underground transportation system called the Vegas Loop to city limits. When Clark County Commissioners first approved the Vegas Loop, it was supposed to be a 29-mile tunnel network connecting 51 stations. Now, the network will span 34 miles and have a total of 55 stations, including ones that will serve the Harry Reid International Airport and the Allegiant Stadium.

According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Boring Co. President Steve Davis said tunneling in downtown Las Vegas could begin in 2023: “This is step two and there are eight steps for us to be opening. There’s a long way to go and a lot of work to do. But if I were to guess on the spot I would guess we’d have machines in (the ground) next calendar year.” According to the publication, the downtown stations include the Strat, Fremont Street Experience, the Slotzilla attraction, the Garage Mahal at the Circa Resort and the Plaza Hotel. Boring could add other stations in the future, as well, with each one costing anything in between $1.5 to $20 million to build. 

Davis also said a ride from Fremont Street Experience downtown to Reid International would cost about $12 and take around eight or nine minutes. Before Boring’s monorail system could shuttle people to and from downtown Las Vegas, though, it has to secure a bunch of permits and design approvals first. As The Verge notes, only 1.7 miles of the Vegas Loop are operational at the moment underneath the Las Vegas Convention Center (LVCC). That said, Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority CEO Steve Hill said he expects more portions serving parts of the Resort Corridor to be operational sometime in 2023.