Two Readers Explain Elon Musk’s Changed Role At Tesla Better Than I Did

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Yesterday, once I wrote an article explaining what I believe has occurred with Elon Musk and Tesla in recent times that has led to the conundrum Tesla is in proper now, or at the very least its newest “guess the corporate” transfer, I knew the reader feedback could be nice. As some readers have stated, the discussions below articles are sometimes higher than the articles themselves. There have been lots of nice feedback below that article, however one stood out to me as a superb one which deserved its personal characteristic story, after which one other one was an ideal followup alongside comparable traces. So, I’m together with each of those beneath. Lastly, I’m going to incorporate a few segments from a brand new e-book about Musk, which relate to each of those feedback.

For these of you who’re uninterested in this matter, apologies, however no must learn additional in case you are. I do suppose it’s necessary stuff to think about and talk about, although, as a result of Tesla continues to be one of the crucial necessary and influential firms within the EV world, and thus the world at giant. What occurs with Tesla will not be as necessary as we speak because it was a decade in the past, nevertheless it’s nonetheless extraordinarily necessary.

Right here’s the primary remark, from “Jec,” that I assumed deserved additional consideration:

“I’ve labored in Govt Search for a few years and occurred to serve a bigger variety of entrepreneurs. They’re an fascinating lot. They love discussing and dealing with new concepts and visions. The have a powerful drive to Power their concept to success. They’re at all times ‘sooner or later’. Hate being compelled to take care of the previous or with minor issues. At all times on to new revolutionary concepts, which provides them vitality. Bear in mind Musk and boneheaded questions? As an alternative of listening to Musk and his visions for the longer term, the analysts needed details about the previous quarter. Musk hated that.

“EVs have now developed to a state the place the know-how has matured, and there’s no room for technological revolutions of the type that offers vitality to Musk. Now it’s a matter of optimizing and perfectionizing, which bores Musk. It’s ‘a recreation of pennies’.

“That’s why he cuts down on car improvement, and strikes to FSD, which may very well be a revolution and due to this fact pursuits Musk far more. Time has due to this fact come to go away the every day management to an individual who enjoys optimizing enterprise and let Elon transfer on.

“Else, his restlessness mixed along with his dominant conduct will more and more change into a legal responsibility for Tesla.

“In my expertise, all entrepreneurs ultimately hit a glass ceiling and may’t develop the corporate additional, as their unfavourable sides now equalizes their constructive sides.”

I believe that’s principally backing up what I wrote in a part of my article, however expounding on it and explaining it even higher. Nevertheless, I do suppose that whereas many individuals agree with Jec that Musk wants to maneuver on, there are additionally many individuals (particularly TSLA shareholders) who suppose he must hold operating Tesla in an effort to hold it revolutionary. They don’t need Tesla to be “simply one other automobile firm” and strongly imagine in Musk’s robotaxi, AI, and robotics plans.

Although, personally, I believe extra folks would in all probability be clever to protect in opposition to the notion that “as a result of somebody succeeded earlier than, they may succeed once more on this different means.” Possibly Musk might be proper on Tesla AI, robotaxis, and robotics. Or perhaps, as he’s been mistaken (or at the very least delayed) for the previous a number of years, he’ll proceed to overlook targets on these items and burn cash indefinitely with out the anticipated return. I believe everybody, professional and con on this, has to acknowledge that we don’t actually know the place these items will go — together with Musk.

However, sure, what does appear clear is that Musk isn’t in it for incremental enhancements and the traditional operating of a big company.

Right here’s the second reader remark I needed to focus on right here, from Mike Sarcione:

“Profitable entrepreneurs with the largest egos fall actually laborious when they’re both instructed they’re mistaken, and even worse, ignored by others in authority. One authority to disregard him, present POTUS. His Administration ignored the “king” of worldwide EVs, on the time, in crafting the IRA and EV elements. One other authority to disregard him was the earlier POTUS at the moment operating once more. Nevertheless, Elon Musk noticed a gap as that one would change his view of parents who would bend the knee and ship a lot of $. There was a possible for market uptick if he might get the bully’s followers to melt and settle for EVs. Of us with massive egos, a lot of $, and media management have loads of vent choices for espousing their ‘mind-set.’ Household isn’t first, his companies aren’t first, his ego is first, and anybody who tries to harm it, or assist information it with one of the best of intentions, fuels its misguided responses which in the end requires corrections and self rationalization. In enterprise, it’s what have you ever achieved for the shareholders these days that may in the end resolve his future. He wants an mental miracle. We’ll see whether or not the one he’s been banking on pans out. Ultimately all emperors and empires get defeated, particularly once they have divided pursuits. Between Chinese language competitors, private household pressures, political fallout and mental failures, their are loads of divided pursuits.”

This remark was not in response to that different one above, nevertheless it carries on from it. As that different commenter referred to it, entrepreneurs generally tend towards “dominant conduct.” Once they can’t be the dominant determine within the room, or within the story, they’ll have infected reactions. I believe anybody who’s following on might see it is a massive a part of what occurred with Musk and Biden. Biden didn’t acknowledge Elon in the way in which Elon felt he needs to be acknowledged and consulted. Just like how Donald Trump ran for president after Obama made some jokes about him on the 2011 White Home Correspondents’ Dinner, I believe an enormous a part of what bought Musk into politics was the way in which Biden was ignoring him — not simply at that notorious EV occasion, however Biden additionally reportedly ignored requests for conferences with Musk, or one thing like that. Nevertheless, if that is true, one regarding factor right here is how Musk can fall into traps, aspect tangents, and conspiracy theories simply from not getting the reward and a spotlight he thinks he deserves. Humorous sufficient, as I’m penning this, I simply remembered one thing I learn earlier as we speak:

That’s fairly wild if true, and the unhappy factor is, it’s in all probability true. (Facet notice: I suppose it is a advantage of being King of the International City Corridor.)

In that second reader remark, I liked that line “Ultimately all emperors and empires get defeated, particularly once they have divided pursuits.” And as he famous “Between Chinese language competitors, private household pressures, political fallout and mental failures, their are loads of divided pursuits.” Certainly. Although, whereas many Tesla followers would now prefer to see Musk step down from his function as CEO, I believe one other anecdote from that new e-book, Character Limit: How Elon Musk Destroyed Twitter, exhibits us that he received’t. He has stated many instances that he’d be comfortable to go on the function of CEO, however there’s nobody higher to do the job. That is how he sees it. A extra stark instance of how he appears himself as the mandatory chief of all the things he will get concerned in, as summarized by Rolling Stone, right here’s the story of Musk promising the step down from operating Twitter if the folks thought he ought to, after which not doing so:

“Following a collection of disastrous coverage adjustments, Musk determined to carry an off-the-cuff efficiency evaluation for himself utilizing one in all his favourite Twitter instruments: the polling characteristic. ‘Ought to I step down as head of Twitter? I’ll abide by the outcomes of this ballot,’ he tweeted in December 2022 earlier than embarking on a flight from Qatar to London. When he landed, he discovered that ‘57.5 p.c of the greater than 17.5 million accounts that had voted have been calling for him to resign.’ Between this rejection and the plummeting worth of Tesla inventory, Musk turned withdrawn and unresponsive, with those that did handle to speak to him worrying that he was ‘within the throes of a manic occasion.’ Talking with one confidante, ‘Musk choked up and started to doubt his means to run the corporate’ in gentle of the ballot outcomes, saying, ‘I’m by no means going to get better from this.’ He would, after all, go on to rent Linda Yaccarino as a substitute CEO within the new yr — although as anybody nonetheless lively on the positioning that quickly turned X will let you know, it continues to mirror his worst impulses and warped worldview.”

Musk doesn’t need to surrender management of Tesla. Like with Twitter, he believes that he’s the chosen one who’s one of the best particular person to run the corporate. Although, whereas this Twitter ballot instructed Musk what he didn’t need to hear and thought he wouldn’t hear, within the case of Tesla, shareholders only recently revived his huge compensation package deal and principally gave him a full stamp of approval to maintain operating Tesla nevertheless he sees match. So, even when he’s uninterested in the day-to-day of Tesla and the incremental wants of a company like Tesla, I believe he’ll proceed to imagine he’s the one one who can do the CEO job and can stay simply the place he’s.