Re:New Glenn’s Progress Towards Maiden Flight
by wahern on Thursday February 25, 2021 @08:01PM
(#26270395)
> no other car company CEO could consistently overpromise and underdeliver like he does and keep their job.
Musk doesn't overpromise for investors or the public. His M.O. is to overpromise as motivation to drive productivity. Every day he manages to convince his workforce that they're at the cusp of crossing the finish line of w'ever insane goal he has set, and so they keep pushing hard that day (or they quit). At this point it should be obvious: Musk never hits his timelines, and yet he usually still delivers faster than any other CEO or company could ever dream of delivering.
His M.O. works because of his personality and his personal investment in operations. Few managers could ever hope to replicate that, and those who do end up failing horribly, or were merely trying to paper over some other deficiencies. But judging Musk by applying the same standards one would apply to Fortune 500 companies, expecting him to adhere to normative business culture (formal and informal), seems a little obtuse given the past 10+ years of history making abundantly clear exactly how and why he operates. 15+ years ago, sure, it was easy to write Musk off as a conman. But he's delivered in ways that nobody ever thought possible. At this point the only credible interpretation (not simply charitable one) is that he's perfectly sincere and earnest--that his methodology, including his "stories", serve a legitimate and crucial function. Musk is one of those few characters that come along every generation or so, breaks all the rules, and succeeds where pretty much everyone else would have failed. It's not always pretty, but it works. It is what it is.
Musk doesn't overpromise for investors or the public. His M.O. is to overpromise as motivation to drive productivity. Every day he manages to convince his workforce that they're at the cusp of crossing the finish line of w'ever insane goal he has set, and so they keep pushing hard that day (or they quit). At this point it should be obvious: Musk never hits his timelines, and yet he usually still delivers faster than any other CEO or company could ever dream of delivering.
His M.O. works because of his personality and his personal investment in operations. Few managers could ever hope to replicate that, and those who do end up failing horribly, or were merely trying to paper over some other deficiencies. But judging Musk by applying the same standards one would apply to Fortune 500 companies, expecting him to adhere to normative business culture (formal and informal), seems a little obtuse given the past 10+ years of history making abundantly clear exactly how and why he operates. 15+ years ago, sure, it was easy to write Musk off as a conman. But he's delivered in ways that nobody ever thought possible. At this point the only credible interpretation (not simply charitable one) is that he's perfectly sincere and earnest--that his methodology, including his "stories", serve a legitimate and crucial function. Musk is one of those few characters that come along every generation or so, breaks all the rules, and succeeds where pretty much everyone else would have failed. It's not always pretty, but it works. It is what it is.