Elon Musk threw his support behind the CEO of crypto exchange Kraken on Thursday, applauding Kraken boss Jesse Powell for a series of recent statements clamping down on “triggered” employees who bring social justice debates into the workplace.
“Good thread,” Musk wrote in a tweet late Thursday night, commenting on a series of earlier tweets by Powell defending Kraken’s corporate culture. Powell’s tweets followed a controversial blog post by Kraken outlining its corporate principles.
The nearly 4,000 word Kraken document bemoaned Silicon Valley’s view of diversity, and said that Kraken emphasized “diversity of thought” over that of “physical features.” It also laid out rules forbidding Kraken employees from calling anyone’s speech “racist” and saying that firearm and self-defense training may be included in corporate retreats.
“We reject the myopic view that ‘diversity’ can be captured by a short checklist of obvious physical features,” the company’s post reads. “Silicon Valley’s view of diversity in the world is dangerously limited, a commodification of individuals, and a disturbing reflection of profound ignorance. Viewed through a global lens, diversity is infinite. We place an emphasis on equality of opportunity, regardless of background.”
Musk’s support of Powell comes as the outspoken billionaire Tesla CEO faces his own criticism amid his efforts to acquire Twitter for $44 billion.
In a virtual employee meeting with Twitter employees on Wednesday, Musk espoused similar views on diversity. When asked by an employee if he was committed to a diverse workplace and serving a diverse user base, Musk replied that having a billion or more people on Twitter was the “the most explicit definition of inclusiveness,” the New York Times reported. Musk added that he believes in running companies as meritocracies, the Washington Post reported.
“If someone is getting stuff done, great, I love them. If they’re not, why are they at the company,” Musk reportedly said.
On Thursday the Verge reported that employees of Musk’s rocket company, SpaceX, circulated a petition that expressed frustration with the world’s richest man, saying that his public behavior and Tweets are affecting morale and scaring away potential candidates.
On Thursday afternoon, Gwynne Shotwell, SpaceX’s president and chief operating officer said in an email to employees that the company had “terminated a number of employees involved” with the letter, the New York Times reported.