Elon Musk’s SpaceX to lay off hundreds of workers, source says
- Company is offering a minimum of eight weeks’ pay and other benefits to those affected, according to president Gwynne Shotwell
SpaceX will lay off about 10 per cent of its more than 6,000 employees, a person familiar with the matter said on Friday.
The company responded to Los Angeles Times questions with a statement: “To continue delivering for our customers and to succeed in developing interplanetary spacecraft and a global space-based internet, SpaceX must become a leaner company. Either of these developments, even when attempted separately, have bankrupted other organisations. This means we must part ways with some talented and hardworking members of our team.”
Hawthorne-based SpaceX is offering a minimum of eight weeks’ pay and other benefits to those affected, according to an email sent on Friday to employees by SpaceX president Gwynne Shotwell. The company will also provide help with career coaching, resume help and job searches, according to the email.
Even with SpaceX’s ramp-up of satellite launches – 21 in 2018, up from 18 the year before – it has occasionally cut its workforce.