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What's going on with Elon Musk? Eccentric or going mad?

Topics relating to managing people and relationships

MJ DeMarco

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Lately Elon Musk has been making some odd comments and making eyebrows rise.

From the sales conference call some weeks ago where he made some bizarre comments, to Twitter barbs, to this Thai cave rescue thing and calling some critic a PEDO, his comments are starting to make people wonder. Lately he's been sounding more like Trump and not unlike any other corporate figure of a publicly traded company.

Elon Musk tweets he'll "bet ya a signed dollar" that Thai cave rescuer is a "pedo"

https://www.cnbc.com/video/2018/05/...musk-moments-from-the-bizarre-tesla-call.html

I'm sure Nikola Tesla was considered an odd-ball in his day and age, so is this just Elon being Elon?

Is this his eccentricity or do you think something else is going on?

A billionaire with FU money saying FU?
 
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Bulgano

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I'm sure the money plays a role, but I think in this day and age it's pretty common for absurdly rich/successful/famous people to say ridiculous things to catch headlines. Trump, Kanye, Elon, etc...

It definitely was a bad move on his end though, since generally you're supposed to say stuff that is outrageous but not harmful. In this case, he is making a claim that could well ruin that guys life and is also opening himself up to a huge lawsuit.
 

Invictus

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Could be stress?

Most people would struggle to run just one of Elon's companies, and yet he's simultaneously running three or four. Even if he's focused only on big picture stuff, that's going to be stressful.

He's likely running from big decision to big decision, with no time to recover in-between.

Combine that with his F.U. money so he doesn't face consequences as easily as someone else may, and I think you have a recipe for eccentricity.

He might also have developed a bit of an ego (IE: "People desperately want to hear what I have to say) just because so many people have wanted to hear what he had to say.

Which is entirely human. You give anyone that large of a platform and that much attention and we all start thinking we need to say a lot more than we really do.
 
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msufan

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The pedo comment was indefensible. Definitely harmed himself and his brand for absolutely no reason there.

Gotta be honest -- I've seen a LOT of people harm themselves and their careers with social media. Definitely a cautionary tale here.
 

abrakamowse

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The pedo comment was indefensible. Definitely harmed himself and his brand for absolutely no reason there.

Gotta be honest -- I've seen a LOT of people harm themselves and their careers with social media. Definitely a cautionary tale here.

I totally agree with that, people use social media like if they were talking to friends in a bar, or to family at home. That's really dangerous.
:p
 

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I've noticed a marked increase in hate directed towards him these last few months.

Lots of name calling, challenging him, criticizing his treatment of workers, saying people should stop worshiping him, etc...

He's also pretty well known for being snarky on social media - calling out other companies to challenge him when he feels "on top" and then slinging shade at anyone who talks ill of him.

I bet it's nothing more complicated than he can deal it but not take it.
 
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Xeon

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He lost it.
 
D

Deleted50669

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Stress will bring out the worst in anyone. If you think about the level of stress he's experiencing... making good on billions in investment with an under-performing workforce and inadequate surrounding leadership, he's in a pressure cooker. In his case, the stress breaks down the wall he usually puts up between his ego and the public. In his biography there are glimpses of his ego that are mostly managed away from being noticed. But his sympathy for us lesser beings is diminishing with his staved emotional resources.
 
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CPisHere

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The chances that this guy Elon called a "pedo" is actually a pedophile.... are surprisingly high. I assume Elon has a reason for calling him that (could be that he met him & got a weird vibe, or heard others there talk about him, etc) plus other known factors about Thailand - given that, I'd actually be willing to be on Elon's side of the bet that this guy is a pedo.

Doesn't make calling him that in public, without proof, acceptable.
 

Late Bloomer

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I don't have anything to add to the many insightful comments here.
Just curious... if Elon Musk were to visit the forum today, would a thread speculating on Elon's psychological stability be the kind of thing we'd like him to see here? :smile:
 

Late Bloomer

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He probably wouldn't like seeing any criticism of his technologies or business strategies here either, so does that mean we should discuss those things?

I don't object to the discussion. I'm just pointing out the irony that, "What if Elon visited" has been used to shut down some other threads here. (Mostly, that had less specific business value and social insight than this thread.)
 
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D

Deleted50669

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I don't object to the discussion. I'm just pointing out the irony that, "What if Elon visited" has been used to shut down some other threads here. (Mostly, that had less specific business value and social insight than this thread.)
I would add that after reading his biography (well, technically listening to it on audible), he is comfortable with putting his flaws out in the open. The book did point to some of his draconian leadership habits.
 

MJ DeMarco

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He might also have developed a bit of an ego

Well it has to be frustrating to make such a worldly impact and have some socialist basement dweller tweeting you about how you aren't doing enough, and that you should "spread the wealth." GMAFB.

Looks to be political. E donated to GOP

It was very little in the scope of power donations, but I'm sure that hasn't helped quell the SJW lynch mob.

I'm just pointing out the irony that, "What if Elon visited" has been used to shut down some other threads here.

Some water cooler discussions are acceptable. Others are just plain poor taste or show a lack of diligence.

The reference to Musk was that it could be any high-profile entrepreneur visiting. If Barbara Corcoran or Lori Greiner visited here, do you think they'd want to see "How do u guyz get chicks in bed?" on the front page? No, they don't. And if they did, they'd be out in seconds, and not just because they are women.
 

Ayanle Farah

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Just my $.02, but until the past couple years, Musk was never known as a particularly nice guy. In fact, many who knew him thought he was a complete a$$ (and I've heard that first-hand from friends of mine at PayPal who knew him).

The past couple years he's gotten the reputation of being very customer-centric and focusing on big/difficult problems, which is a great way to build reputation in the business world. But, it doesn't change his core personality.

There are obviously two sides to every story, but here's what his ex-wives had said about him:

"It's Elon's world and the rest of us live in it." What it's like to be married to Elon Musk.

https://pagesix.com/2016/03/24/elon-musk-to-first-wife-if-you-were-my-employee-id-fire-you/

And here are some Twitter feuds he's gotten into recently:

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Long story short, my take is that there are two facets to him -- great business/tech guy who cares about his customers and narcissistic jerk.

I see no reason why those two traits can't exist side-by-side in the same person.
This only gives more support to the notion of being an a**hole to succeed, Steve Jobs was the same way.

I don't think it's a necessary trait but I'm not successful so I can't say.
 
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Invictus

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Well it has to be frustrating to make such a worldly impact and have some socialist basement dweller tweeting you about how you aren't doing enough, and that you should "spread the wealth." GMAFB.

Oh, I don't disagree with you.


Also, ego was likely the wrong word now that I give it a bit more thought. It sounds much more negative than what I intended.
 

TonyStark

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Poor Elon, has no business talking to mere mortals.

And by the way, the rescuer had no business telling Elon to shove the submarine up his a$$.

But nope. He got what he deserved. Now he wants to cry and complain about it?
 

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I think he has got on the wrong side of the media and they have tasted blood. He used to be someone that they wanted to rally behind but now that they see his alliances are elsewhere they will find whatever they can to take him down.

When you are on the wrong side of the press it can start to accelerate bad decisions. If you have ever seen a comedian dive during a performance its the same thing - they try take bigger social gambles to work themselves back to a good spot but it just makes it even worst. Id say he is feeling the heat somewhat and its causing more mini meltdowns.

Also the twitter thing is a huge double edged. It helps him connect with people and seem relatable but that is also going to mean getting into the odd battle in which either way he loses. All those responses above (not the pedo one though) seem quite funny - he is just calling out fake news and annoying reporters.
 
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Bhanu

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I think he is overworked,sleepless. These things are taking toll on him .
He needs to slow down .
 

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This only gives more support to the notion of being an a**hole to succeed, Steve Jobs was the same way.

I don't think it's a necessary trait but I'm not successful so I can't say.

By definition, a world-changing entrepreneur thinks about things the rest of the world isn't thinking about. They think about typical things in a different way that's far from typical. And they keeps pushing until their vision becomes the new reality. That requires a self-assured confidence in one's own ideas, even when one's own thoughts contradict what the whole rest of the world does. It's not that far from having this level of confidence, to being called an a**hole by many... or actually being one.
 
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MJ DeMarco

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Don't forget that Musk insists he's a socialist as well...sort of...

Ah yes, socialism in a theoretical vacuum void of human entanglement versus socialism administrated by corrupt bureaucrats and politicians. That makes me a socialist too. :smuggy:
 

Ayanle Farah

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By definition, a world-changing entrepreneur thinks about things the rest of the world isn't thinking about. They think about typical things in a different way that's far from typical. And they keeps pushing until their vision becomes the new reality. That requires a self-assured confidence in one's own ideas, even when one's own thoughts contradict what the whole rest of the world does. It's not that far from having this level of confidence, to being called an a**hole by many... or actually being one.
I once watched this documentary called "Print the Legend" which showed various startups in the 3D printing industry.

One particular startup became a big competitor in the field and you get to see how the CEO at the time becomes more selfish and tyrannical as they grow untill the company gets bought up.

Makes you wonder if there is a correlation here, it could be like you said too, a strong vision that's taken the wrong way.
 

Brad S

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I'd say his behavior is probably a combination of the reasons given in these 2 articles.

Peter Thiel Thinks Elon Musk and Donald Trump are a Lot Alike | Inverse

Does Elon Musk Need a Vacation?

Not only are his tweets entertaining, I think there should be more people willing to put themselves out there and say whatever the F*ck they want about whoever the F*ck they want.

Especially when most of it is true.

I'm not sure why Elon involves himself in things like a thai cave problem..

But the better question is why anyone cares to say something negative.

The media in general is a cancer.

Just like all the worthless self righteous people that have nothing better to do but criticize people they dont know like Elon and Trump.

We need MORE people who bully these self righteous p.c. lynch mobs.

I think Elon has declared war.







Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk
 
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jlwilliams

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Outstanding article. In retrospect, looking at someone I knew over time and watched turn into a completely different person, I can't disagree. Not one bit.

I can't say much about Musk. I haven't been watching his antics or much of anything in popular culture or news lately. Based solely on this thread, I'm curious to know more but not enough so to let it occupy me. I'm doing my best to keep the poison that is the "news feed" out.
 

J.Sark

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I can imagine it must be very frustrating trying to accomplish the huge mission of colonizing Mars and having to deal with mundane things like journalists tweets, and it's probably hard to feel his world from the outside.
 
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csalvato

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How would you feel if you made some of the greatest advancements in technology and the human condition in the past 20 years through sheer force of will, then have the press relentlessly criticize you, Wall Street ruthlessly short you, and have literally thousands (millions?) of negative tweets, emails and other personal correspondence a year telling you how you’re an idiot, pigheaded, narcissistic, etc.?

My bet is that alone is ridiculously hard to cope with. And recently the media is amplifying all the negative stuff because he’s called them out...

This will be a true test of his character.
 
Last edited:

MikeS

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Actually, the social media are one of the biggest dangers for celebrities. If you lose it once, people will keep using it against you forever. In most cases, it is true that once you post something on the internet, it stays on the internet.

A great example of that is Zuckerberg. When he started the Facebook didn't have an idea about how big impact can his immature behaviors have in the future. When Facebook got sued for some privacy issues, I think it was about a decade ago, the plaintiff used against him this conversation that he had with his college friend in the past. He couldn't have predicted it, but he could've prevented this by simply not behaving like an idiot.
 

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