Two Readers Clarify Elon Musk’s Modified Function At Tesla Higher Than I Did

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Yesterday, once I wrote an article explaining what I feel has occurred with Elon Musk and Tesla lately that has led to the conundrum Tesla is in proper now, or at the least its newest “guess the corporate” transfer, I knew the reader feedback can 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 function story, after which one other one was an ideal followup alongside related strains. So, I’m together with each of those beneath. Lastly, I’m going to incorporate a few segments from a brand new ebook about Musk, which relate to each of those feedback.

For these of you who’re uninterested in this subject, apologies, however no must learn additional if you’re. I do assume it’s vital stuff to think about and focus on, although, as a result of Tesla remains to be one of the crucial vital and influential firms within the EV world, and thus the world at giant. What occurs with Tesla might not be as vital at the moment because it was a decade in the past, however it’s nonetheless extraordinarily vital.

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 attention-grabbing lot. They love discussing and dealing with new concepts and visions. The have a powerful drive to Pressure their thought to success. They’re all the time ‘sooner or later’. Hate being pressured to take care of the previous or with minor issues. All the time on to new revolutionary concepts, which provides them vitality. Bear in mind Musk and boneheaded questions? As a substitute 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 expertise 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 sport of pennies’.

“That’s why he cuts down on car growth, and strikes to FSD, which could possibly be a revolution and subsequently pursuits Musk way more. Time has subsequently come to go away the day by day management to an individual who enjoys optimizing enterprise and let Elon transfer on.

“Else, his restlessness mixed together with his dominant habits will more and more turn into a legal responsibility for Tesla.

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

I feel 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 assume that whereas many individuals agree with Jec that Musk wants to maneuver on, there are additionally many individuals (particularly TSLA shareholders) who assume he must preserve working Tesla with a purpose to preserve 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 feel extra individuals would most likely be clever to protect towards the notion that “as a result of somebody succeeded earlier than, they may succeed once more on this different approach.” Perhaps Musk might be proper on Tesla AI, robotaxis, and robotics. Or possibly, as he’s been fallacious (or at the least delayed) for the previous a number of years, he’ll proceed to overlook targets on this stuff and burn cash indefinitely with out the anticipated return. I feel everybody, professional and con on this, has to acknowledge that we don’t actually know the place this stuff will go — together with Musk.

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

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

“Profitable entrepreneurs with the most important egos fall actually exhausting when they’re both informed they’re fallacious, and even worse, ignored by others in authority. One authority to disregard him, present POTUS. His Administration ignored the “king” of world EVs, on the time, in crafting the IRA and EV points. One other authority to disregard him was the earlier POTUS at the moment working once more. Nevertheless, Elon Musk noticed a gap as that one would change his view of oldsters 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. People with huge 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 the perfect of intentions, fuels its misguided responses which in the end requires corrections and self rationalization. In enterprise, it’s what have you ever executed for the shareholders currently 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 after 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, however it carries on from it. As that different commenter referred to it, entrepreneurs generally tend towards “dominant habits.” Once they can’t be the dominant determine within the room, or within the story, they’ll have infected reactions. I feel anybody who’s following on might see it is a huge 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 feel a giant a part of what received 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 at the moment:

That’s fairly wild if true, and the unhappy factor is, it’s most likely true. (Aspect word: I assume it is a good thing about being King of the International City Corridor.)

In that second reader remark, I beloved that line “Ultimately all emperors and empires get defeated, particularly after 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 feel one other anecdote from that new ebook, Character Restrict: How Elon Musk Destroyed Twitter, exhibits us that he gained’t. He has stated many instances that he’d be comfortable to move 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 every little thing he will get concerned in, as summarized by Rolling Stone, right here’s the story of Musk promising the step down from working Twitter if the individuals thought he ought to, after which not doing so:

“Following a collection of disastrous coverage adjustments, Musk determined to carry a casual efficiency evaluation for himself utilizing certainly one of his favourite Twitter instruments: the polling function. ‘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 % 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 commenced to doubt his potential 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 12 months — although as anybody nonetheless energetic on the location that quickly turned X will let you know, it continues to replicate his worst impulses and warped worldview.”

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