SpaceX executive defends Elon Musk against misconduct accusations.

A top executive at the rocket maker said she personally believed that sexual harassment accusations against Musk, the company's founder and chief executive, were false, according to a companywide email.

In the email, Shotwell said she had worked closely with Musk for 20 years and had never heard of the allegations.

Business Insider reported last week that Mr. Musk propositioned a flight attendant for a sexual massage on a flight to London. According to the article, he exposed himself to the attendant and offered her a horse, but the details were not verified by The New York Times.

According to Business Insider, the woman hired an employment lawyer and sent a complaint to the human resources department. The woman was paid $250,000 in exchange for a promise not to file a lawsuit.

Mr. Musk said last week that the accusations were not true.

A spokesman for the company did not respond to a request for comment. Two people shared the memo with The Times.

Below is Ms. Shotwell's email to employees.

SpaceX team-

I want to directly address the story that mentions our company and CEO with serious allegations. Let me be clear — SpaceX does not tolerate harassment of any kind — I am saying ZERO tolerance. We firmly believe everyone at SpaceX deserves to be treated with respect. And every accusation of harassment is taken very seriously, regardless of who is involved. HR thoroughly investigates all claims that are brought to their attention and takes appropriate disciplinary action. If you have any questions or concerns about this policy or our workplace, please reach out to me, your manager or your HR rep.

Admittedly this is a difficult topic to navigate. It’s natural to have questions and to want definitive answer. For privacy reasons I will never comment on any legal matters involving employment issues. However, what I can share is that Elon has made a public statement via Twitter that the allegations are utterly untrue. Personally, I believe the allegations to be false; not because I work for Elon, but because I have worked closely with him for 20 years and never seen nor heard anything resembling these allegations. Anyone who knows Elon like I do, knows he would never conduct or condone this alleged inappropriate behavior.

I believe SpaceX is an extraordinary place to work because of you. And I remain committed to ensuring it’s a place where all employees can do their best work.