Ever since Elon Musk assumed control of Twitter (now rebranded as X) last year, his leadership approach has garnered considerable attention. From discontinuing remote work to encouraging longer work hours to achieve goals, Musk implemented numerous changes at the social media company. When a photo of Esther Crawford sleeping in Twitter's offices went viral, it sparked discussions about the demanding working conditions employees faced. In a related development, Crawford was subsequently terminated by Musk.
However, if you believe that only Twitter employees were required to work extended hours, you may be mistaken. According to the recently published biography of the billionaire, authored by Walter Isaacson, Musk was an 'uncompromising' boss at SpaceX. He imposed strict schedules on engineers and assigned them seemingly impossible deadlines. If anyone asserted that something 'couldn't be done,' they were excluded from the next meeting.
Tom Mueller, a co-founder of SpaceX who collaborated with Musk for over two decades, expressed his dislike for individuals who claimed something was impossible. He learned never to reject the billionaire's ideas and always promised to make an attempt. Later, if their efforts proved unsuccessful, he would clarify the reasons to Musk.
Mueller disclosed to Isaacson in the biography, "If you were negative or believed something couldn't be done, you were not invited to the next meeting. He simply wanted people who could achieve results."
The biography also disclosed that when SpaceX was launched, Mueller had requested Musk to place two years' worth of compensation into escrow, fearing the venture might fail. Although the SpaceX CEO consented, it implied that he viewed Mueller as an 'employee' rather than a co-founder, as Isaacson writes in the book.
Musk told Isaacson, "You cannot ask for two years of salary in escrow and consider yourself a co-founder," adding, "There's got to be some combination of inspiration, perspiration, and risk to be a co-founder."
The biography also revealed that Musk and his brother used to 'wrestle' in the office when they worked together at Zip2. Zip2, founded in 1995 by Musk, his brother Kimbal, and Greg Kouri, was a software company. Essentially, it was an online business directory similar to the Yellow Pages, featuring maps and enabling companies to promote themselves online.
Isaacson noted that Kimbal Musk once bit a piece of flesh from his brother Elon Musk's hand while the two were wrestling on the floor of Zip2's office. Kimbal had bitten Elon because he thought his brother was about to punch him in the face. Following the incident, Elon required stitches and a tetanus shot.
Moreover, such office fights were not isolated occurrences. The book disclosed that such altercations were frequent when the brothers worked in the same office. Since Zip2 lacked private offices, the staff often witnessed the two brothers engaging in these bouts.
Musk's biography was published on September 12 and revealed numerous aspects of the tech mogul's life.
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