Title: Former SpaceX Employees Share Experiences of Elon Musk’s Intense Management Style
Subtitle: Elon Musk’s unrelenting approach to work pushes employees to the limit, reveals Walter Isaacson’s new biography
Date: [Insert Date]
Elon Musk, the CEO of SpaceX and renowned entrepreneur, has long been known for his intense work ethic and high expectations for his employees. Recently, several former SpaceX employees shared their experiences with Musk’s management style, shedding light on the pressure and demands they faced while working under him.
In his newly released biography, author Walter Isaacson delves into Musk’s management style, highlighting how it allowed him to achieve remarkable feats such as sending humans into space, orbit, and building the most successful electric vehicle (EV) company in the world. However, Isaacson also reveals that Musk’s all-consuming dedication, which he refers to as “demon mode,” comes at a price for his employees.
According to Isaacson, Musk’s management style enables him to “move faster, take more risks, break rules, and question requirements.” However, this approach can manifest in a cold and tough manner towards his employees. “A cloud comes over and he gets into a trance and he can just be tough in a cold way,” Isaacson shared with The Wall Street Journal.
The experiences of former SpaceX employees echo the intensity described in the biography. One engineer, Kiko Dontchev, recounted how Musk called him back to the hangar after Dontchev had just returned home to his wife, having worked three consecutive days. Despite having consumed alcohol, Dontchev chose to obey Musk’s demand rather than risk his boss’s wrath. “I worried about getting pulled over for drunk driving, but that seemed less of a risk than ignoring Elon,” Dontchev told Isaacson.
The intense management style and sky-high expectations often prompted employees to resign. Lucas Hughes, a financial analyst who joined SpaceX in August 2021, shared his encounter with Musk. Following the tragic loss of his child, Hughes was called into a meeting with Musk. Isaacson writes that Musk told Hughes in an emotionless tone, “you better be fucking sure in the future you know these things off the top of your head.” Musk warned him that if he didn’t improve, his resignation would be accepted. Despite successfully reducing engine costs from $2 million to $200,000 within a year, Hughes left SpaceX in May 2022, feeling like a replaceable tool to achieve Musk’s objectives.
Even senior employees at SpaceX have learned not to refuse Musk’s demands. Former propulsion chief, Tom Mueller, shared his experience of never telling Musk “no” in the biography. When asked about his approach to providing feedback, Musk said, “I give people hardcore feedback, mostly accurate, and I try not to do it in a way that’s ad hominem.” He emphasized that he critiques actions, not individuals.
Musk’s uncompromising attitude towards work aims to deliver success in the aerospace industry, as well as other ventures he is involved in. As he stated to Isaacson, “Physics does not care about hurt feelings. It cares about whether you got the rocket right.” While his management style may yield remarkable achievements, it also raises questions about the toll it takes on employees and their well-being.
As Elon Musk continues to push boundaries and innovate, his management style will undoubtedly be a topic of discussion and scrutiny in the world of business and leadership.
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