MRC Free Speech America update summary: A federal court for the Western District of Texas temporarily enjoined the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB)’s action on July 24, 2024, arguing the agency was unconstitutionally structured. President Donald Trump later fired NLRB’s general counsel Jennifer Abruzzo, and the Board began proceedings to withdraw its complaint.
The following article is a supplement to the MRC Report: The Biden Administration Waged War on Free Speech with 57 Censorship Initiatives.
Initiative #53
The NLRB’s SpaceX / Twitter Censorship
Type of Censorship: Direct Action
Agencies Involved:
- National Labor Relations Board (NLRB)
Summary:
Futurist and tech entrepreneur Elon Musk, who is the owner of aerospace firm SpaceX, purchased the social media platform Twitter (now X) and began using it to advocate for greater free speech rights. A group of SpaceX employees began to circulate an open letter condemning Musk’s advocacy on Twitter, saying “[i]t is critical to make clear to our teams and to our potential talent pool that his messaging does not reflect our work, our mission, or our values.” The letter also criticized Musk for avoiding “the promotion of diversity, equity, and inclusion.”
For writing an open letter insulting their boss and saying that his free speech values were inconsistent with the workplace they wanted, the employees who drafted the letter were fired. Under President Joe Biden’s General Counsel Jennifer Abruzzo, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) brought a complaint against Musk for firing the employees, saying it was an “unfair labor practice” to penalize the employees.
Key Individuals:
- Jennifer Abruzzo, NLRB General Counsel
