Launch startup Firefly Aerospace parted ways with CEO Bill Weber, two days after Payload reported the company was investigating claims of an alleged inappropriate relationship between him and a female employee.
“Firefly Aerospace’s Board of Directors announced that Bill Weber is no longer serving as CEO of the company, effective immediately,” the company said in a statement Wednesday night.
Firefly has tapped board member Peter Schumacher as interim CEO while leadership kicks off a search process.
On Monday, Payload reported that Firefly’s VP of IT, Lloyd McMullen, brought concerns about Weber’s alleged improper relationship to the board. After reporting the issue, he lost confidence in leadership and resigned.
Backstory: It has been a whirlwind couple of years for the fledgling startup.
Weber took the helm of Firefly after AE Industrial Partners bought the company in 2022 from Ukrainian businessman Max Polyakov. Polyakov was pressured into offloading the business—despite having invested $200M—after the US deemed him a potential Russian agent. Last week, Polyakov announced the US government released him of all the conditions imposed upon him.
Firefly recently celebrated its first Alpha rocket launch of the year, successfully deploying a NASA payload. The company has 700+ employees.
