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Tesla CEO berated employees, investors and tried to get rid of safety measures

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Re: Tesla CEO berated employees, investors and tried to get rid of safety measures

#21

Post by camjohnson26 »

ProAm wrote: post #10
rebelos wrote: post #8

I've always found the reports of his behind the scenes behavior and its stark contrast with his public persona to be incredibly disturbing, because it paints a picture of someone with psychopathic tendencies. I suspect there's something really dark with him that originates in his childhood (suffered through horrific bullying and a hellishly awful father).

> stark contrast with his public persona What do you mean? He called a person a pedo in public.

See also his treatment of Martin Tripp that was documented here: https://getpocket.com/explore/item/when-elon-musk-tried-to-d...

Re: Tesla CEO berated employees, investors and tried to get rid of safety measures

#22

Post by m12k »

peakaboo wrote: post #16
rebelos wrote: post #8

I've always found the reports of his behind the scenes behavior and its stark contrast with his public persona to be incredibly disturbing, because it paints a picture of someone with psychopathic tendencies. I suspect there's something really dark with him that originates in his childhood (suffered through horrific bullying and a hellishly awful father).

This may sound a bit weird but haven't you noticed they all are psychopaths? Although high functioning ones. Mark Zuckerberg, Bill Gates, Jeff Bezoz... These are not healthy people mentally. But they are rich and powerful.

See also https://www.ribbonfarm.com/2009/10/07/the-gervais-principle-...

Re: Tesla CEO berated employees, investors and tried to get rid of safety measures

#23

Post by luffapi »

ChildOfChaos wrote: post #17
ProAm wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> stark contrast with his public persona What do you mean? He called a person a pedo in public.

Haha that was pretty funny though, an example of playing to his audience in public.

It wasn’t funny to call a guy trying to rescue trapped children a “pedo”. That was very public bullying. He says a lot of stupid and hostile stuff. I’m surprised people found his public persona incongruent with the reports of abuse.

Re: Tesla CEO berated employees, investors and tried to get rid of safety measures

#24

Post by andi999 »

peakaboo wrote: post #16
rebelos wrote: post #8

I've always found the reports of his behind the scenes behavior and its stark contrast with his public persona to be incredibly disturbing, because it paints a picture of someone with psychopathic tendencies. I suspect there's something really dark with him that originates in his childhood (suffered through horrific bullying and a hellishly awful father).

This may sound a bit weird but haven't you noticed they all are psychopaths? Although high functioning ones. Mark Zuckerberg, Bill Gates, Jeff Bezoz... These are not healthy people mentally. But they are rich and powerful.

Gates seems pretty normal to me.

Re: Tesla CEO berated employees, investors and tried to get rid of safety measures

#25

Post by nemothekid »

exogeny wrote: post #18
underseacables wrote: post #6

Oh no, a CEO yelled at employees, investors, and cut corners. Steve Jobs must be rolling in his grave. I think the record shows that Tesla, and Musk, have undergone a lot of growing pains and mistakes, but the results speak for themselves.

Yes, the results do speak for themselves: an unprofitable company with a petulant, childish troll as a CEO. Just because you act like Steve Jobs doesn't mean that you are Steve Jobs. You can ask Adam Neumann about that.

FWIW, Tesla isn't unprofitable anymore (even if you remove the EV credits)

Re: Tesla CEO berated employees, investors and tried to get rid of safety measures

#26

Post by tinco »

"Tried to get rid of safety measures"

He was annoyed at seeing his line stopped, during a crisis, who wouldn't be? He tried to convince them to start it again, but they didn't. If he then overruled them and actually started the line and actually put anyone in danger that would have been a bad thing. But he didn't, and there's no story here. Just an anecdote of an emotional moment.

No one believed they could actually pull it off. No one believed they could sell the Model 3 at that price point, at those quantities, in that time span. If they didn't, they were in big trouble. They pulled it together and they actually delivered, maybe a bit later, maybe a bit costlier, but it's running like a train now.

I'm nowhere close to that factory, and in no position to judge. But sitting here comfortably on my couch on the other side of the ocean of this factory it seemed to me they pulled off an absolute miracle. I was bearish on Tesla together with almost the entire world (except the crazy people that kept buying the stock despite all the bad news).

I'm not surprised some people got yelled at, or some managers and executive staff were laid off. Am I supposed to feel pity for mr Field for being sidelined on the Model 3 line? Surely he was paid handsomely for his work on the Model S? Musk judged him to be unfit for the situation, and whether it was thanks to him, or despite him, the 30,000 Tesla employees kept their jobs and the factory became a success.

I'd love to read a book on what happened in the trenches in that factory, but if it's constantly on the edge of drama questioning Musk's every move like this advertorial, I don't really see the use of it.

Re: Tesla CEO berated employees, investors and tried to get rid of safety measures

#27

Post by peakaboo »

breck wrote: post #20
rebelos wrote: post #8

I've always found the reports of his behind the scenes behavior and its stark contrast with his public persona to be incredibly disturbing, because it paints a picture of someone with psychopathic tendencies. I suspect there's something really dark with him that originates in his childhood (suffered through horrific bullying and a hellishly awful father).

Anger is a natural human emotion. There's a time and a place for it. If you're in the NFL, on the field. If you're in the NFL of car making, on the factory floor. Tom Brady isn't so polite for 60 minutes on Sundays. Never once in my life have I met a world class performer who doesn't have some "field" where anger and profanity are permitted. If you want to be the best you can be I don't see how you can hit that witho…

Anger is the ego being upset that people and the world didn't do what you expected. It's natural, but it's absolutely not a good leadership quality to be angry.

Re: Tesla CEO berated employees, investors and tried to get rid of safety measures

#28

Post by jcranmer »

rebelos wrote: post #8

I've always found the reports of his behind the scenes behavior and its stark contrast with his public persona to be incredibly disturbing, because it paints a picture of someone with psychopathic tendencies. I suspect there's something really dark with him that originates in his childhood (suffered through horrific bullying and a hellishly awful father).

> stark contrast with his public persona

I don't really follow Musk, so pretty much everything I hear about him comes from whatever antics bubbles up to a tech-y press (such as Ars Technica or posts here). As a result, the mental image of him that I have is that he's an arrogant, egotistical smartass with a selfish streak that sometimes can be seen as altruistic. Which is basically the kind of behavior that this article seems to confirm.

... so what is in his public persona that is in stark contrast to this constant portrayal in the news? What am I missing?

Re: Tesla CEO berated employees, investors and tried to get rid of safety measures

#29

Post by MattGaiser »

vkou wrote: post #13
rebelos wrote: post #8

I've always found the reports of his behind the scenes behavior and its stark contrast with his public persona to be incredibly disturbing, because it paints a picture of someone with psychopathic tendencies. I suspect there's something really dark with him that originates in his childhood (suffered through horrific bullying and a hellishly awful father).

I think all it paints is a picture of someone who is good at virtue signaling in public. I don't think there's a need to dig much past that.

I think everyone does this to some extent. For Musk, publicity is a large part of his work. That requires a certain friendliness.

When someone is yo ur job, you adapt your personality.

I am certainly not my authentic self at work and that is to facilitate my work.

Re: Tesla CEO berated employees, investors and tried to get rid of safety measures

#30

Post by patkai »

rebelos wrote: post #8

I've always found the reports of his behind the scenes behavior and its stark contrast with his public persona to be incredibly disturbing, because it paints a picture of someone with psychopathic tendencies. I suspect there's something really dark with him that originates in his childhood (suffered through horrific bullying and a hellishly awful father).

I agree with you. Also, the Gervais principle should be required reading for everybody on HN. Half of the discussions would be so much simpler. https://www.ribbonfarm.com/the-gervais-principle/ To put it simple: it would be hard to operate a large organization without some of the above mentioned tendencies. Regarding awful fathers: what do we know about the father of Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Jeff Bezos or even Arnold Schwarzenegger? All of this plays out in society in a non-black-and-white way.
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