He is not a machine. He is a meatbag, like you and me, with a lot of money and ego.
I interpreted "machine" as "unburdened with empathy."
Re:Twitter’s mass layoffs have begun
by DonHopkins on Friday November 04, 2022 @10:51AM
(#33467685)
"Lawnmower".
Elon Musk would probably suck as a middle manager for the reasons you state. And probably as the big boss too.
I believe his opinions are correct. But I wouldn't necessarily want to work for him. He is a machine.