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

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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 not less than its newest “bet the company” transfer, I knew the reader feedback could be nice. As some readers have mentioned, the discussions below articles are sometimes higher than the articles themselves. There have been a variety 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 related traces. 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 bored with this subject, apologies, however no must learn additional if you’re. I do assume it’s essential stuff to contemplate and talk about, although, as a result of Tesla remains to be probably the most essential and influential firms within the EV world, and thus the world at giant. What occurs with Tesla will not be as essential immediately because it was a decade in the past, but it surely’s nonetheless extraordinarily essential.

Right here’s the primary remark, from “Jec,” that I believed 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 robust drive to Pressure their concept to success. They’re at all times ‘in the future’. Hate being pressured 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 wished 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 provides vitality to Musk. Now it’s a matter of optimizing and perfectionizing, which bores Musk. It’s ‘a game of pennies’.

“That’s why he cuts down on car improvement, and strikes to FSD, which may very well be a revolution and subsequently pursuits Musk rather more. Time has subsequently come to depart 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 conduct will more and more develop into a legal responsibility for Tesla.

“In my experience, all entrepreneurs sooner or later hit a glass ceiling and can’t grow the company further, as their negative sides now equalizes their positive sides.”

I feel that’s largely backing up what I wrote in a part of my article, however expounding on it and explaining it even higher. Nonetheless, 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 hold working Tesla so as to hold it revolutionary. They don’t need Tesla to be “just another car company” and strongly consider in Musk’s robotaxi, AI, and robotics plans.

Although, personally, I feel extra folks would most likely be clever to protect towards the notion that “because someone succeeded before, they will succeed again in this other way.” Possibly Musk might be proper on Tesla AI, robotaxis, and robotics. Or possibly, as he’s been fallacious (or not less than 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 feel 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 working of a giant company.

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

“Successful entrepreneurs with the biggest egos fall really hard when they are either told they’re wrong, or even worse, ignored by others in authority. One authority to ignore him, current POTUS. His Administration ignored the “king” of world EVs, on the time, in crafting the IRA and EV elements. One other authority to disregard him was the earlier POTUS at the moment working once more. Nonetheless, Elon Musk noticed a gap as that one would change his view of oldsters who would bend the knee and ship a number of $. There was a possible for market uptick if he may get the bully’s followers to melt and settle for EVs. People with large egos, a number of $, and media management have loads of vent choices for espousing their ‘way of thinking.’ 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 finally requires corrections and self rationalization. In enterprise, it’s what have you ever performed for the shareholders currently that may finally 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, but it surely carries on from it. As that different commenter referred to it, entrepreneurs generally tend towards “dominant behavior.” 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 may see this can be a large a part of what occurred with Musk and Biden. Biden didn’t acknowledge Elon in the best way Elon felt he ought 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 best way 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. Nonetheless, 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 focus he thinks he deserves. Humorous sufficient, as I’m penning this, I simply remembered one thing I learn earlier immediately:

That’s fairly wild if true, and the unhappy factor is, it’s most likely true. (Facet observe: I suppose this can be a advantage of being King of the International City Corridor.)

In that second reader remark, I liked that line “Eventually all emperors and empires get defeated, especially when they have divided interests.” And as he famous “Between Chinese competition, personal family pressures, political fallout and intellectual failures, their are plenty of divided interests.” 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 mentioned many instances that he’d be comfortable to cross 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 working Twitter if the folks thought he ought to, after which not doing so:

“Following a series of disastrous policy changes, Musk decided to hold an informal performance review for himself using one of his favorite Twitter tools: the polling feature. ‘Should I step down as head of Twitter? I will abide by the results of this poll,’ he tweeted in December 2022 before embarking on a flight from Qatar to London. When he landed, he found that ‘57.5 percent of the more than 17.5 million accounts that had voted were calling for him to resign.’ Between this rejection and the plummeting value of Tesla stock, Musk became withdrawn and unresponsive, with those who did manage to talk to him worrying that he was ‘in the throes of a manic event.’ Speaking with one confidante, ‘Musk choked up and began to doubt his ability to run the company’ in light of the poll results, saying, ‘I’m never going to recover from this.’ He would, of course, go on to hire Linda Yaccarino as a replacement CEO in the new year — though as anyone still active on the site that soon became X will tell you, it continues to reflect 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 informed Musk what he didn’t need to hear and thought he wouldn’t hear, within the case of Tesla, shareholders only recently revived his large compensation package deal and principally gave him a full stamp of approval to maintain working 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 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.