SpaceX employees are ‘begging’ Elon Musk to keep his focus on Twitter
Elon Musk controls several companies that are all worth millions of dollars. However, since it bought Twitter, its focus has shifted to Twitter. This can be seen in his other businesses. While Musk’s absence has had a negative impact on Tesla, his absence on SpaceX appears to be creating a positive work environment. According to reports, Elon Musk’s SpaceX employees said they were relieved that Elon Musk was focusing on Twitter. They say his absence has created a calmer work environment.
Many current and former SpaceX employees say they don’t need Musk to watch them every day. They also said that since Musk took over Twitter in late October, the working environment at SpaceX has become very calm. These staff also emphasize that Musk’s primary role at SpaceX should be to set the company’s development goals. Goals like colonizing Mars or helping NASA bring humans back to the moon.
There are reports that Musk will be involved in running the day-to-day operations at SpaceX, which could bring more work for staff members. For example, these current and former employees say Musk has ordered product design changes at will to suit his personal needs. For example, SpaceX employees are asked to redesign technical hardware from Musk’s aesthetic point of view. It may take several weeks. They also added that some of Musk’s requests are causing employees to rethink product features.
SpaceX employees say that Elon Musk can be a real pain
In December, Musk wrote on Twitter, “I will continue to manage Tesla and SpaceX, but the team there is so good, I usually don’t need to do it. »
In Musk’s absence, 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 poll on Twitter, asking fans if he should step down as CEO of Twitter, and the final results of the vote encouraged Musk to do so as well. Musk said the vote would be honored. The data shows that since October 14 last year, Musk’s private jet has not flown to the SpaceX airport near the rocket launch site in Texas.
Tesla needs all the attention Musk is giving it and it’s very clear in the company’s recent financial statements. 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 even make up 50% of Tesla. However, Tesla is a baby that needs a lot of attention. For now, Musk is not paying attention to “his baby”.
Over the next few years, more than a dozen new electric vehicles from various brands will arrive in the United States. Additionally, Tesla is also facing numerous lawsuits, mostly related to the crash of the Autopilot self-driving system. Although it’s called “full self-driving”, it doesn’t really have that capability.
Tesla stock has fallen sharply in recent months since Musk announced plans to buy Twitter. This could be a sign that investors are worried. They fear that Musk has too much work, said Harvard Business School professor Joffe. In 2018, when Tesla faced serious production problems, Musk quickly called workers to work overtime. He also had to sleep in the factory for several nights. Joffe believes that if Musk faces such a time 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 the physical presence of Elon Musk. At SpaceX, Musk is only CEO and chief designer, he does not do serious marketing, delivery, expansion or building new factories. The situation at SpaceX is almost the same as The Boring Company. So the regular day-to-day operations of these companies will run 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 around 2025. However, SpaceX must take 75 steps to lighten the Starship. This is to reduce its impact on the environment. Currently, the FAA has not approved the Starship for launch.
Neuralink needs less attention from Musk than The Boring Company and SpaceX. It is a brain-computer interface company. So all Musk has to do is tell the professionals his ideas and they do it. The Boring Company and Neuralink were founded in 2016. Boring has built prototype tunnels in Los Angeles and Las Vegas. while Neuralink engages in advanced technology research.
Andy Wu, an assistant professor at Harvard University, believes that Musk’s companies have a common pattern. It requires significant capital investment, bold bets and compelling employees. It also needs investors for larger and more complex missions. But this acquisition of Twitter does not yet fit this model. Musk’s takeover of Twitter doesn’t offer a clear and inspiring engineering goal like Tesla and SpaceX.
