SpaceX has instructed its employees to leave Brazil and avoid travel to the country, following a Brazilian Supreme Court decision to block X, formerly known as Twitter.
This move is part of a broader response by Elon Musk’s companies, including SpaceX and Starlink, to the escalating legal conflict with Brazil’s government. SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell recently emailed staff advising against travel to Brazil, both for work and personal reasons, and began relocating Brazil-based employees, according to The Wall Street Journal.
The legal battle stems from Brazil’s decision to seize assets from SpaceX, Starlink, and X, after X refused to comply with a court order to remove certain accounts accused of spreading political disinformation. Brazil fined X around $3 million for its non-compliance. The accounts in question have been linked to the January 2023 attack on Brazilian government buildings, an incident with parallels to the U.S. Capitol attack on January 6, 2021. Some accounts also reportedly promoted violence in schools.
X had previously closed its Brazilian office due to this legal conflict, which continues to evolve. While Elon Musk has publicly challenged Brazil’s Supreme Court’s actions, alleging that the court is violating the law, Brazil’s judiciary launched an investigation into X in April, following Musk’s decision to reinstate some of the accounts involved in the dispute.
Initially, SpaceX’s Starlink had taken a defiant stance, informing Brazil’s telecom agency that it would not block X for its 250,000 users in the country. However, Starlink reversed this decision earlier this week, announcing it would comply with Brazil’s ban.
Elon Musk has been vocal in his criticism of Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who is overseeing the case. Last month, X launched an official account called “Alexandre Files,” which targets de Moraes and accuses him of censorship.
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