SpaceX employees ‘beg’ Elon Musk to keep his attention on Twitter
Elon Musk controls several companies worth millions of dollars. However, after acquiring Twitter, his focus shifted to Twitter. This is reflected in his other businesses as well. While the impact of Musk’s absence at Tesla is negative, his absence at SpaceX creates a positive work environment. Elon Musk’s SpaceX employees are reportedly relieved that Elon Musk is focusing on Twitter. They claim that his absence creates a quieter work environment.
Several current and former SpaceX employees say Musk doesn’t need to see them every day. They also said that since Musk took over Twitter in late October, the atmosphere at SpaceX has been very quiet. These employees also emphasize that Musk’s primary role at SpaceX should be to define the company’s development goals. The goals are to colonize Mars or help NASA get people back to the Moon.
Musk is reportedly involved in the day-to-day operations at SpaceX, which could bring more work to crew members. For example, these current and former employees say that Musk has already ordered changes to product design at will to suit his personal needs. For example, SpaceX employees are required to redesign technical equipment from Musk’s aesthetic point of view. This can take weeks. They also add that some of Musk’s requests are causing employees to rethink product features.
SpaceX employees say Elon Musk can be a real pain
In December, Musk wrote on Twitter: “I will continue to run Tesla and SpaceX, but the team there is so good that I usually don’t need to. »
While Musk is away, the day-to-day management of SpaceX is handled by Chief Operating Officer (COO) Gwynne Shotwell. NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said Shotwell assured him that Musk’s focus on Twitter would not affect SpaceX.
Last month, Musk launched a Twitter poll asking his fans whether he should step down as CEO of Twitter, and the final results of the vote encouraged Musk to do so. Musk said he would respect the vote. The data shows that since October 14 last year, Musk’s private plane has not flown to the SpaceX airport near the Texas rocket launch site.
Tesla needs all the attention Musk has to offer, and that’s abundantly clear in the company’s recent financial reports. The electric car brand is Elon Musk’s main source of money. Tesla’s poor performance caused Musk to lose more than $200 billion, setting a new world record. Twitter is worth less than 10% of Tesla. In fact, all of Musk’s other big businesses combined don’t make up 50% of Tesla. However, Tesla is a baby that requires a lot of attention. For now, Musk does not pay so much attention to “his baby”.
More than a dozen new electric vehicles from various brands will arrive in the United States in the next few years. In addition, Tesla is also facing multiple lawsuits, mostly related to the Autopilot self-driving system crash. Although it is called “fully self-controlled”, it does not actually have such an ability.
Shares of Tesla have fallen sharply in recent months after Musk announced that he would buy Twitter. This could be a sign that investors are worried. Harvard Business School professor Joffe fears that Musk has too much to do. In 2018, when Tesla faced serious production problems, Musk quickly called for workers to work overtime. He also had to sleep in the factory for several nights. Coffe believes that if Musk faces such a period now, Tesla will suffer greatly.
SpaceX, Neuralink and The Boring may not need Musk as much
Compared to Tesla, SpaceX and The Boring Company may not need Elon Musk’s physical presence. At SpaceX, Musk is just the CEO and chief designer, he doesn’t do serious marketing, shipping, expansion, or building new factories. The situation at SpaceX is almost the same as at The Boring Company. So the regular day-to-day operations of these companies will run smoothly without Musk. Last year, SpaceX signed a $3 billion contract with NASA. NASA will use SpaceX’s Starship rocket to send people to the moon in 2025. However, SpaceX 75 Starship has to take a mitigating measure. This is to reduce its environmental impact. At this time, the FAA has not approved the launch of the Starship.
Neuralink requires even less attention from Musk than The Boring Company and SpaceX. It is a brain-computer interface company. So all Musk has to do is pitch his ideas to the pros and they’ll work on it. The Boring Company and Neuralink were founded in 2016. The Boring has developed prototype tunnels in Los Angeles and Las Vegas. And Neuralink is engaged in advanced technology research.
Andy Wu, an associate professor at Harvard University, believes that Musk’s companies have a typical model. It requires huge capital investments, bold bets and engaging employees. It also needs investors for a bigger and more complex mission. But this acquisition of Twitter still doesn’t fit that model. Musk’s acquisition of Twitter didn’t offer a clear and inspiring engineering purpose like Tesla and SpaceX.
