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Comment by pc86 | Hacker News Reader

Speech about working conditions is indeed protected. Nothing in the letter is about working conditions.

> many employees continue to experience unequal enforcement of our oft-repeated “No Asshole” and “Zero Tolerance” policies.

Sure sounds like a discussion about workplace policies and enforcement to me.

It's fascinating to me how many comments seem to be defending the workplace culture at SpaceX, and outright dismissing the letter in a hostile manner.

I don't think anyone is defending the culture, just saying that this letter is not about workplace conditions and is not protected, no matter how much you wish it was.

Hmm, I think that’s at the very least debatable. If we had a liberal court I can see how they’d go for that. Right now? Not so sure.

No. Elon Musks tweets are not workplace conditions anymore than your choice of owning a cat or dog is workplace conditions.

You can dislike something and also not think it's illegal.

His tweets are official company communications. They are every bit as relevant to workplace conditions as would be owning a cat or dog inside your office.

You, a stranger and not an employee of SpaceX or Tesla, come across Elon Musk on the street while walking to get a chili dog. He looks at you and goes "That is the most hideous shirt I have ever seen" and walks off.

Is that workplace conditions?

Also, oddly enough, "official company communications" is not workplace conditions. You do not have a legal right to discuss company communications!

They have said that official company communications can come from his Twitter account. They have not made the claim that all communications from his Twitter account constitute official company communications.

I think many here are getting sick of workplace activism and the self-involved crowd pushing it. I didn't become an engineer to deal with their bullshit. I just wanna work on interesting problems. If I'm unhappy I'll switch teams or get another job.

There is an increasingly troublesome number of people entering the industry who simply don't enjoy working hard. I think every company would do better to fire them.

> activism

I take it you are in a country that doesn't support freedom and basic rights.

Quite the opposite. I'm in the only country that does.

They are either invested, malicious, or stupid.

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