8 ms·

People I know at SpaceX are terrified of him. They all secretly track when he comes into the office, and actively hide from him.

pifm_guy 4y ago
It's really noticeable that work on site at spacex really ramps up before an Elon visit, and then pretty much stops when he leaves again. If he doesn't visit for a few weeks, nothing gets done.
- Goronmon 4y ago
  If he doesn't visit for a few weeks, nothing gets done. Wow, if his leadership results in such a bad situation at SpaceX I can only image how poor the result will be at Twitter with whatever is left.
- cududa 4y ago
  Alternative theory: They save all the "stuff that requires physical activity" to when he visits, some of it for show, and actually are doing the real work when he's not there. It's hilarious to think that what you can see from the fence line, constitutes an assessment of what work is being done
- Quarrelsome 4y ago
  or that the theatre is only on when its only audience member is seated?
- jmull 4y ago
  Here's a rather more likely reality: The workers have noticed Elon likes to see everyone acting busy and has a propensity for causing a lot of trouble when he doesn't see what he likes. Therefore, they act busy when he's around, and go back to normal, productive work when he's not.
- pyb 4y ago
  Are people downvoting you because they think it's untrue ; or because they don't like to hear it ?
  - kthejoker2 4y ago
    I'm not voting because I think it's true or untrue (although I do think it's untrue) I'm downvoting because it's an extraordinary claim offered with absolutely zero evidence, and I've watched the entire Western world practically collapse from offering credence to this behavior over the past decade.
jimbob45 4y ago
Isn't that true of most CEOs though? When a CEO comes around, you have nothing to gain and your entire employment to lose. Edit: The point is not that we all reside in toxic workplaces. The point is that there is no upside to interacting with a CEO. A parallel situation might be giving a loaded pistol with a child. In that case, the upside is that they now have one thousand and one chew toys instead of one thousand. The downside is that they can kill themselves accidentally. Outside of a few specific people in a company, a CEO most likely can't make anyone's life better. However, if, for example, you're coding and a pornographic ad appears in Firefox on your second monitor, then your employment isn't likely to continue much longer.
- kibwen 4y ago
  Any CEO who forces you to bend the knee in order to remain employed isn't a CEO that's worthy of your employment. If an executive wants my respect, they can earn it by doing things that are worthy of respect.
- foostepsndpics 4y ago
- DabbyDabberson 4y ago
  I've never felt that way at the 3 tech companies I've worked at. More to the contrary, I'd want the CEO or CTO to know me, who i am, and what I've done.
  - artificial 4y ago
    How large are the companies approximately? I've worked for small to large. The visibility was possible on the smaller companies, the larger was increasingly difficult (oceans of smaller teams). I haven't worked at a company where I've feared the CEO.
  - scarface74 4y ago
    Those tech companies must have been small. Don’t get me wrong. I spent most of my career at small companies. But, currently, my CEO is 7 levels above me in the hierarchy and I’m one of 1.6+ million employees.
ChrisMarshallNY 4y ago
That sounds like what I've heard about Steve Jobs.
deleted 4y ago
[deleted]

pifm_guy 4y ago

It's really noticeable that work on site at spacex really ramps up before an Elon visit, and then pretty much stops when he leaves again. If he doesn't visit for a few weeks, nothing gets done.

Goronmon 4y ago
If he doesn't visit for a few weeks, nothing gets done. Wow, if his leadership results in such a bad situation at SpaceX I can only image how poor the result will be at Twitter with whatever is left.
cududa 4y ago
Alternative theory: They save all the "stuff that requires physical activity" to when he visits, some of it for show, and actually are doing the real work when he's not there. It's hilarious to think that what you can see from the fence line, constitutes an assessment of what work is being done
Quarrelsome 4y ago
or that the theatre is only on when its only audience member is seated?
jmull 4y ago
Here's a rather more likely reality: The workers have noticed Elon likes to see everyone acting busy and has a propensity for causing a lot of trouble when he doesn't see what he likes. Therefore, they act busy when he's around, and go back to normal, productive work when he's not.
pyb 4y ago
Are people downvoting you because they think it's untrue ; or because they don't like to hear it ?
- kthejoker2 4y ago
  I'm not voting because I think it's true or untrue (although I do think it's untrue) I'm downvoting because it's an extraordinary claim offered with absolutely zero evidence, and I've watched the entire Western world practically collapse from offering credence to this behavior over the past decade.

jimbob45 4y ago

Isn't that true of most CEOs though? When a CEO comes around, you have nothing to gain and your entire employment to lose. Edit: The point is not that we all reside in toxic workplaces. The point is that there is no upside to interacting with a CEO. A parallel situation might be giving a loaded pistol with a child. In that case, the upside is that they now have one thousand and one chew toys instead of one thousand. The downside is that they can kill themselves accidentally. Outside of a few specific people in a company, a CEO most likely can't make anyone's life better. However, if, for example, you're coding and a pornographic ad appears in Firefox on your second monitor, then your employment isn't likely to continue much longer.

kibwen 4y ago
Any CEO who forces you to bend the knee in order to remain employed isn't a CEO that's worthy of your employment. If an executive wants my respect, they can earn it by doing things that are worthy of respect.
foostepsndpics 4y ago
DabbyDabberson 4y ago
I've never felt that way at the 3 tech companies I've worked at. More to the contrary, I'd want the CEO or CTO to know me, who i am, and what I've done.
- artificial 4y ago
  How large are the companies approximately? I've worked for small to large. The visibility was possible on the smaller companies, the larger was increasingly difficult (oceans of smaller teams). I haven't worked at a company where I've feared the CEO.
- scarface74 4y ago
  Those tech companies must have been small. Don’t get me wrong. I spent most of my career at small companies. But, currently, my CEO is 7 levels above me in the hierarchy and I’m one of 1.6+ million employees.

ChrisMarshallNY 4y ago

That sounds like what I've heard about Steve Jobs.

deleted 4y ago

[deleted]