A former feminine govt at Rivian is accusing the electrical car start-up of firing her for elevating issues concerning the firm having a “poisonous bro tradition.”

In a Medium submit printed Thursday afternoon, Laura Schwab, who joined Rivian late final yr from Aston Martin, describes the corporate as a “boys membership” during which feminine executives resembling herself had been not noted of essential conferences and marginalized.

“Rivian publicly boasts about its tradition, so it was a crushing blow once I joined the corporate and virtually instantly skilled a poisonous bro tradition that marginalizes ladies and contributes to the corporate making errors,” she stated. “I raised issues to HR concerning the gender discrimination from my supervisor, the ‘boys membership’ tradition, and the impression it was having on me, my crew, and the corporate. Two days later, my boss fired me.”

Rivian spokeswoman Amy Mast declined to touch upon Schwab’s submit and the allegations. She cited restrictions of the corporate’s quiet interval as a part of its IPO, which it filed for in August. The corporate is anticipated to checklist on the Nasdaq as early as subsequent week.

In a LinkedIn submit, Schwab additionally stated she has filed a lawsuit in opposition to Rivian for gender discrimination and retaliation.

Schwab, who beforehand served as Aston Martin’s American division president, was employed final November as Rivian’s first vp of gross sales and advertising and marketing. She was a high-profile addition for the corporate following a 20-year profession with the famed British luxurious model in addition to Jaguar Land Rover.

Schwab’s submit known as “Life Exterior the Boys Membership: Why I Spoke Up About Rivian’s Poisonous Bro Tradition (and Received Fired).” In it, Schwab stated she was “excited” to hitch Rivian, however that pleasure rapidly turned to emotions of marginalization following an alleged sample of exclusion among the many firm’s high male executives.

“Regardless of my 20 years of auto expertise, and my place as VP of Gross sales and Advertising and marketing, I used to be excluded from essential conferences that impacted our mission and my crew,” Schwab wrote. “Time and time once more, I raised issues concerning car pricing and manufacturing deadlines, however nobody listened, though I’ve intensive expertise launching and pricing automobiles. It wasn’t till my (usually much less skilled) male colleagues raised the very same concepts that the Chief Business Officer would reply. By no means in my years within the auto business had I skilled such blatant marginalization.”

It wasn’t instantly clear who serves as Rivian’s chief business officer, who Schwab stated she reported to and was fired by. The corporate doesn’t checklist such a place on its web site or in its IPO registration type.

Schwab alleged that her boss stated the reasoning for her firing was a “bigger ‘reorganization.'” Schwab argues she was the one individual “reorganized” although.

“I identified that there was no coincidence in my firing and my elevating issues of bro tradition and gender discrimination simply two days earlier,” she stated. “The very individual I had flagged as selling the discriminatory tradition was the one that terminated me.”

CNBC reached out to Schwab, who didn’t instantly reply for remark.