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Elon Musk email to Tesla employee about missing an event to witness the birth

businessinsider.com

11–20 of 168 posts

Re: Elon Musk email to Tesla employee about missing an event to witness the birth

#11
Before anybody jumps to conclusions about Musk, we need to first know the source is accurate and the email is real, and also we need to know the context of the email.

It could be very well that the employee failed to communicate the fact his wife may go into labor prior to the event, and with no heads up of any kind, he gave the excuse after missing the event. In which case, I completely agree with Musk, if any employee is expecting to be out soon, they need to make it known. And let's face it...you have quite a few months notice on when the baby is due.

Re: Elon Musk email to Tesla employee about missing an event to witness the birth

#12

All the negative press and comments about this miss the point. The guy has very specific, very ambitious goals that he has a track record of achieving. He prioritizes those literally above everything and expects the same from key employees. Working at Tesla, which has already done a ton to change the entire car industry is a huge privilege, and no one's making you do it. If you can get a job there, you can get a job…

That's ridiculous. No one's commitment to any organization or cause should be questioned if they choose to see their child born vs. coming into work.

Re: Elon Musk email to Tesla employee about missing an event to witness the birth

#13

All the negative press and comments about this miss the point. The guy has very specific, very ambitious goals that he has a track record of achieving. He prioritizes those literally above everything and expects the same from key employees. Working at Tesla, which has already done a ton to change the entire car industry is a huge privilege, and no one's making you do it. If you can get a job there, you can get a job…

I am reminded of this famous Stallman incident, where he basically scorns at another developer for having a baby:

http://edward.oconnor.cx/2005/04/rms

Re: Elon Musk email to Tesla employee about missing an event to witness the birth

#14

All the negative press and comments about this miss the point. The guy has very specific, very ambitious goals that he has a track record of achieving. He prioritizes those literally above everything and expects the same from key employees. Working at Tesla, which has already done a ton to change the entire car industry is a huge privilege, and no one's making you do it. If you can get a job there, you can get a job…

If you consider the birth of a child "other stuff" less important that your job your priorities as a parent are already seriously fucked.

Re: Elon Musk email to Tesla employee about missing an event to witness the birth

#15

All the negative press and comments about this miss the point. The guy has very specific, very ambitious goals that he has a track record of achieving. He prioritizes those literally above everything and expects the same from key employees. Working at Tesla, which has already done a ton to change the entire car industry is a huge privilege, and no one's making you do it. If you can get a job there, you can get a job…

"All the negative press and comments about this miss the point."

What, that working at Tesla is more important than being at the birth of your child, to both see them come into the world and support the mother during a physically and emotionally trying event?

Because that is the alleged point. And the criticism is spot-on.

Re: Elon Musk email to Tesla employee about missing an event to witness the birth

#16
My first day at SpaceX I ran into a friend. I asked him how he was doing and he said he just had a kid. "How old is she now?" "Oh no, like, my wife just gave birth an hour ago."

The guy was working through the birth of his first born. The story continued for months afterwards and it's not a good one.

That and many other stories are what led me to quit. I took the summer off and didn't work. I hung out with my dog and got my pilot's license. A few months later my dog unexpectedly passed away one night. I was so, so happy I spent the last months of his life with him instead of at SpaceX.

I get working on big goals, I get working hard. I don't get throwing away everything else. It's not just your life it's the people who need a father and a friend.

Re: Elon Musk email to Tesla employee about missing an event to witness the birth

#17
post #12

All the negative press and comments about this miss the point. The guy has very specific, very ambitious goals that he has a track record of achieving. He prioritizes those literally above everything and expects the same from key employees. Working at Tesla, which has already done a ton to change the entire car industry is a huge privilege, and no one's making you do it. If you can get a job there, you can get a job…

That's ridiculous. No one's commitment to any organization or cause should be questioned if they choose to see their child born vs. coming into work.

Completely agree! Nobody should be shamed because he/she prioritizes things differently. As long as people accomplish the job agreed upon, it should not matter that some people are not OK with never seeing their family.

Re: Elon Musk email to Tesla employee about missing an event to witness the birth

#18

Musk even scolded a Tesla employee who missed an event to witness the birth of his child If true, that diminishes my respect for Elon just a touch. I mean, OK, I get it... when you're trying to change the world, you want passion, you want commitment, etc. Fine. But here's the thing: in the end, you're just as dead either way. Change the world, you're still dead. Don't change the world: You're dead. The only thing tha…

If this statement is true and in the proper context (who knows), this all but kills my respect for Musk. It basically puts him at the same level as Jobs, Ellison and others who are just egotistical, sociopathic assholes.

Look, Musk /is/ out to change the world. His employees might not be, at least to the degree and level as he is. And, if they are, they'll likely not be remembered along with Musk. There is often only one, maybe two names attached to great achievements. If I'm an employee at a company like that (and I have been, and I have killed myself with long hours making someone else rich when I was young and dumb, before I realized what it was all about), I would do my job very, very well and make sure I have the balance in life /I/ want.

You don't want me to see the birth of my child? Sorry, fuck off. It's my time, my life, my family, my kid. And we aren't talking about a tee-ball game. This is the BIRTH. We aren't talking about kindergarten parent-teacher conferences. This is the birth, where you support your wife and see your child for the first time.

And, sadly, Musk probably doesn't realize because he is so wrapped up in his own world, but having a child IS changing the world for a few folks. But, ya know, sociopaths don't care about other people, just themselves.

I'm continually saddened that we put people on pedestals who so clearly aren't deserving of it. Musk is just another example of someone who /really/ is out for theirs and want to get it any way possible. I think we all thought, or maybe hoped, he was different. I don't know that he is.

Re: Elon Musk email to Tesla employee about missing an event to witness the birth

#19
post #7

If this is true it's a little bit sad. If a person isn't present in the most important moments of a family is "changing the world" of the family for worse and not for better.

> is "changing the world" of the family for worse and not for better

Hypothetical counterexample: What if he were busy curing cancer and thus making sure that the future world of that very family would be a nicer place, one where the children would never have to experience that disease?

Re: Elon Musk email to Tesla employee about missing an event to witness the birth

#20
I don't care about Musk either way, so I doubt this is too biased in his favor, but I don't think many people would knowingly say something like the phrase in the article to someone who went to his child's birth. I consider it more likely that Musk didn't know that the person was missing because of the birth, or something similar, than that someone would say "yeah this company event is more important than your child being born".
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