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Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, unveils batteries for homes, businesses, and utilities at Tesla Design Studio April 30, 2015 in Hawthorne, California.
Kevork Djansezian—Getty Images

Tesla and SpaceX chief executive Elon Musk rejected a claim Tuesday that he once upbraided an employee for taking time off work to witness a child’s birth on Twitter, calling the allegations “total BS and hurtful.”

Musk was responding to an anecdote featured in upcoming biography, Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future, written by business reporter Ashlee Vance.

In the book, an employee claims that Musk sent a sternly worded note in which Musk reportedly wrote that the child’s birth was “no excuse,” adding, “you need to figure out where your priorities are.” Musk denied ever having written the note and cast doubts on the veracity of the book:

As more sensational quotes from advanced copies of the book leaked online, Musk continued to tweet back rebuttals.

Read next: How to Achieve Extreme Success Like Richard Branson and Elon Musk

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