How do you put guardrails around Elon without stifling the innovation?
Both fans and detractors of Elon agree he is crazy, in that no sane person would wake up and say "I think I'll start a car company today" or "let's catch rocket ships with chopsticks". To do the impossible, you must believe in the impossible. For industry disruptors like Elon to push the boundaries of progress, they must acclimate to being constantly told "no" or "you can't do that".
Unfortunately, sometimes things remain impossible despite one's beliefs lol, and it can be difficult to disabuse such a person of their peculiar notions.
How do you put guardrails around Elon without stifling the innovation?
How do you put guardrails around Elon without stifling the innovation?
Answer: a corporate board not made up of cronies and bros, and a management system that doesn't live in fear of immediate mass firings if anyone dares to voice a contrary opinion.
I hate to say it, but I can't think of any recent contribution by Musk that added materially to the value of the Tesla brand or its vehicles. I personally know many people who flatly refuse to consider buying a Tesla due to Musk's rantings, and we all see online scores more people who've made that decision. If Mary Barra megaphoned out conspiracy theories and personal political opinions in a way that generated as much antipathy for GM as Musk does for Tesla, the GM board would sack her in a New York minute.
Similarly, the recent string of dubious design decisions, all supposedly at Musk's direct demand, have only detracted to the public perception of Tesla. For example, I know of absolutely no one who said "Having a car without stalks is cool and functions better, so I'll buy a Tesla instead of a BMW or Lucid." But we've all seen postings by people who said they find the stalkless design awkward and more complicated to use, and decided against buying a Tesla because of it. (I test drove one recently - it's a deal breaker for me.) If a completely unnecessary design change is so polarizing and only costs you sales rather than increasing them, why do it? Because Musk thinks it's cool and all the people who buy other brands because of it are wrong.
Same with the Cybertruck's pointlessly pointy design. Musk chose it because he thinks it looks "badass." He's wrong, or is at least in the tiny, tiny % of people who like the design rather than think it's silly. As a result of its, shall we say, idiosyncratic design, scores more people refuse to buy rather than are enticed to buy.
Firing on a whim all the 100s of people who manage the supercharger network - the biggest jewel in Tesla's crown - should be the last straw for a thoughtful, independent Board that puts the company's best interests ahead of the King's "off with their heads" approach.
I still think Musk can be a valuable asset to Tesla. But adult supervision by the Board is required.
I see 500 no votes
