SpaceX tells staff not to go to Brazil as Elon Musk fight intensifies

SpaceX is also trying to relocate its few non-Brazilian employees working in the country, The Wall Street Journal reported.

The reports did not specify what risks SpaceX faces to its employees in Brazil, but the move comes as the showdown between Elon Musk and the nation’s Supreme Court continues to escalate.

Over the weekend, Brazil’s Supreme Court upheld the decision of one of its members, Judge Alexandre de Moraes, to suspend access to the billionaire’s social media platform X.

Moraes said X had disobeyed court orders on content moderation and refused to pay more than $3 million in fines.

The social media platform has not appointed a new legal representative to respond to government requests about removing content supporting former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro.

Moraes has led efforts to crack down on “fake news,” including tightening regulations on freedom of expression, since 2019, when he opened an investigation into disinformation generated during Bolsonaro’s government.

He issued an order banning certain X accounts that helped spread election disinformation in April, which Musk vocally opposed.

The billionaire took X to bash Moraes, calling him “an evil dictator cosplaying as a judge.”

The Brazilian court also took action against Starlink, the SpaceX-owned satellite internet service that provides connectivity to more than 200,000 Brazilian customers.

Starlink’s bank accounts were frozen and the company was prevented from conducting financial transactions in Brazil.

Starlink said in a post on X that it was doing everything it could to keep customers in Brazil connected and had started legal proceedings in the Brazilian Supreme Court to overturn the sanctions.

“We continue to pursue all legal avenues, as do others who agree that @alexandre’s recent orders violate the Brazilian constitution,” the company said.

Social media company Telegram was also banned in Brazil last year for not cooperating with requests to block certain profiles.

SpaceX did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider, made outside regular US business hours.