Year 12 IB Extended Essays 2018

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At a 2018 TED Conference, SpaceX’s Chief Operating Officer, said:

“When Elon says something, you have to pause and not blurt out ‘Well, that’s impossible’…You zip it,…think about it, and find ways to get it done.” - Gwynne Shotwell 15

Innovators are product-orientated visionaries, and Musk is no different. They focus on the final product rather than people. Employees must work towards his vision, however they like, as long as they get the job done. But when it comes to final decisions, it is autocratic.

He once commented on management:

“The longer you wait to fire someone the longer it has been since you should have fired them,” – Elon Musk 16 On occasions, Musk may fire talented employees without hesitation if they are unable to accept his decisions. He justifies the rationality of his decisions based on calculations. For example, if an outsourced part cost $10,000 but the material of the part only cost $100, Musk would encourage the engineers to make it themselves at a price he thinks that is possible.

15 Ariel Schwartz, "SpaceX's President On Elon Musk: 'When Elon Says Something, You Have To Pause And Not Blurt Out 'Well, That's Impossible''", Business Insider Australia, Last modified 2018, https://www.businessinsider.com.au/how- spacex-president-and-elon-musk-work-together-2018-4?r=US&IR=T. Web. 16 June. 2018 16 Seth Fiegerman, "How To Survive A Job Interview With Elon Musk", Mashable, Last modified 2015, https://mashable.com/2015/05/13/elon-musk-job-interview/#sWyv.Zd7WGqs. Web. 1 Oct. 2018.