I think everyone who either watches TV or has social media knows who Elon Musk is. But if not here is a description of some of his accomplishments, $20.2 billion dollar net worth, co-founder of X.com (currently is known as PayPal), founder of SpaceX ($20 billion value), co-founder and CEO of Tesla, and many more. Elon has been probably one of the more controversial people within his own companies and the media. “[Musk] is very, very demanding, and it’s not the right speed for a lot of people,” said Tesla’s VP of PR, Ricardo Reyes. “He pushes really hard, and it’s mission driven. It’s constant activity. He used to say that he wanted only ‘special forces’ working for him. No normal people.” This quote shows Elon not only not showing respect for his workers but is implying they are not good enough because they are “normal people”. Musk is a smart business man and that is not up for debate. But, knowing he’s such a business wiz he should know that unions for workers are a positive thing, right? But after a ex-employee came out about the bad working conditions at SpaceX he quickly sent out a email. That email stated that SpaceX is a “fun” place to work and recommended that the workers do not unionize.
I think that Elon is one of the most influential business people in the world, and one of the best in perfecting a product. He only see’s the negative in his products. He says this is great for making products, but not good for his happiness. But, to the point of the debate, is he a good leader. I think not. Yes, he does lead by example, but only to a select few. Also, to throw his teammates under the bus is not what good leaders do.
BoweryJE22
I have not read much about Elon, but he sounds like a dictator and his workers probably despise working for him because he does nothing for them and forces unsafe working conditions onto them.
From what I know of Musk, this seems like an accurate portrayal of his strengths and weaknesses. While he has created some amazing businesses, he also has diversified and lost his focus, according to Dr. Powell. I think that his name comes with a lot of connotations- some good, some bad. Obviously, he is good at selling his business ideas to investors and consumers.
I think Elon Musk is an extremely dynamic salesman, a genius in many aspects but I’d agree that he isn’t a strong leader. I’m not sure that his success in sales has much to do with his personality though. I think it has much more to do with the quality and innovation of the products that he has to offer.