Deconstructing Elon Musk’s Get-Things-Done Formula
Learn What You Should (and Absolutely Shouldn’t) Copy
The recently published book “Elon Musk” by Walter Isaacson has captured significant attention, and understandably so. Everyone wants to know the “secret sauce” to Elon Musk’s success. Many may find themselves disappointed. On the question of what advice he would give to someone who wants to be the next Elon Musk, he answers: “I am not sure how many people actually would like to be me. The amount that I torture my self is next level, frankly.” According to Musk himself, he is suffering from Aspergers syndrome, bipolar disorder, and PTSD stemming from a traumatic childhood. He self-medicates with drugs and various coping mechanisms. Reading the book, I get the impression that Musk has reached his successes, not despite, but thanks to these conditions. It’s a difficult path for anyone to replicate.
Unveiling Elon Musk's True Superpower
Contrary to popular belief, Elon Musk's superpower is not his ability to conceive smarter solutions than anyone else. I would argue his ideas often align with what many other intelligent and well-educated individuals might think in a similar situation. What sets Musk apart, according to me, is his unparalleled capacity for getting things done. In this article, we will analyze the key factors that enable him to turn ideas into reality so effectively.
Elon Musk's Multi-Industry Impact
Few entrepreneurs have had as broad and deep an impact across multiple industries as Elon Musk. His influence is felt in a wide range of companies, including SpaceX, Tesla, Neuralink, The Boring Company, PayPal, SolarCity, Hyperloop, X.AI, and OpenAI. Recently, he also took the helm at Twitter, now rebranded as X.
Musk's companies have significantly disrupted multiple industries. In the automotive realm, Tesla's electric vehicles are outperforming traditional car manufacturers, driven by innovations in design, battery technology, and software. In aerospace, SpaceX has changed the game by developing cost-effective, reusable rockets that can send astronauts to the International Space Station. But the aspirations go beyond these accomplishments. Tesla is in the process of developing a fully autonomous “Robotaxi,” with the goal of transforming urban transportation. SpaceX has Mars in its crosshairs and has already built rockets designed for human colonization of the planet. Meanwhile, Neuralink is pioneering a brain-machine interface that could fundamentally change how we interact with technology. On another front, Tesla is developing a humanoid robot, named Optimus, intended to perform tasks that could fundamentally change the labor market.
The Three Pillars of Musk’s Way of Thinking
I break down Elon Musk's thinking style into three fundamental pillars that contribute to his remarkable ability to achieve ambitious goals:
1. Big Picture Storytelling
Everything Musk does revolves around grand, long-term visions grounded in existential concerns. Whether it's averting climate change, defending against asteroids, or mitigating the risks of rogue AI, Musk creates compelling narratives that provide a rationale for his initiatives. Even when involved in projects that don't directly align with these narratives, like Twitter (now rebranded as X), he finds a way to weave them into his broader vision.
2. First Principles Thinking
Musk's approach to problem-solving is rooted in first principles. Rather than taking existing solutions and attempting to improve upon them, he breaks problems down to their fundamental elements. For instance, in rocket design, he doesn’t start by studying the best rockets and what’s great about them. He starts by considering the minimum energy needed to launch a cargo into orbit, based on the laws of physics. To aid in this process, he developed an 'idiot index,' which compares the cost of a component to the cost of its basic materials. For example, if a rocket part made from $100 steel costs $5,000, the index would be 50.
3. Rapid Incorporation of New Information into His World View
Musk's third standout trait is his ability to quickly incorporate new information into his existing world view. To understand the significance of this, I have a model of two opposing styles of exceptional learners. On one end of the spectrum, there are individuals who can recall almost everything they read, down to the last word. On the opposite end are those who may not remember all the details but can instantaneously update their world view with any new information they encounter. Musk belongs to the latter group.
This trait allows Musk to quickly make educated guesses and rough calculations. He doesn't just rely on rote memory but actively integrates new knowledge across fields he has been studying for his whole life, such as physics, mechanics, chemistry, and material science. This means that at first glance, Musk can make fairly accurate estimations about things like costs, timelines, and physical properties—a skill that is exceedingly hard to emulate. While Musk applies this approach across various fields, I would argue, he's notably less successful in areas where he lacks deep expertise.
Project Management: Optimize for Speed
Speed is the most important factor in Musk’s playbook for running projects.
1. Creating a Sense of Urgency
Musk's project management style begins by instilling a sense of urgency, often through storytelling. The underlying message is usually existential, suggesting that if projects aren't completed swiftly, humanity faces dire consequences. In Musk’s case, urgency serves dual purposes: it not only motivates the team, but also helps him cope with personal challenges, by escaping from family issues or destructive thought patterns.
To further create a sense of urgency, Musk often creates artificial crises and deadlines, such as public demonstrations of undeveloped features. This strategy serves to push timelines and identify who can deliver under pressure.
2. The Minimalist Approach
In Musk's playbook, speed is optimized by doing only what is absolutely essential. This minimalist approach applies everywhere—product design, factory layout, or organizational structure. Musk insists that for any project requirement, one should not only know its origin but also the individual responsible for it, challenging its necessity at every turn. Every requirement, regulation, or law is considered an optional recommendation by Musk.
3. Decision-Making for Speed
The operating models in Musk’s companies are built to make quick decisions. Although debates can be heated, Musk remains focused, makes tough prioritizations, and usually takes full responsibility for his choices. He is willing to change course if something doesn't work, as he believes that a wrong decision is often better than prolonged uncertainty.
4. Calculated Risk-Taking
Musk's penchant for speed comes with enormous risk taking. Unlike companies that take risks due to lack of foresight or negligence, Musk's risks are often identified, calculated, and accepted. The trade-off for this level of high risk is the speed at which projects progress. However, many rockets will undergo “rapid unscheduled disassembly,” which is SpaceX’s lingo for “blowing up.”
Managing people: The "Elite-Workers" Philosophy
I argue that employees can be divided into two distinct categories. The first includes those who view work as a means to an end—these individuals expect a 9-to-5 schedule, work-life balance, and financial security. The second group, which I call "elite-workers," approaches work with the mentality of a professional athlete: they live to work and strive for excellence at all costs. Much like in professional sports, they know that a single mistake or failure to deliver can result in immediate dismissal. You tend to see the “elite-workers” in top management roles, consulting, and finance.
1. You are expected to be an “elite-worker”
In Musk’s companies, the expectation is that you are an "elite-worker." What counts isn't just hard work but effective output. If you don't deliver, you're out. And you cannot live on old merits, anyone starting to get complacent is also out. In a sports team, even if they used to be the biggest stars, you don’t keep them indefinitely.
The idea is that a hundred dedicated “elite-workers” will outperform ten times as many regular employees. This philosophy led to significant changes when Musk took over Twitter in October 2022. The workforce was cut from 7,500 to 1,300, using performance metrics such as lines of code written per day as criteria. Remaining employees had to explicitly opt into this high-demand work culture.
2. Extract more from employees than anyone thought possible
Steve Jobs was known for extracting more from people than they themselves thought possible. The actual work was probably like going through hell. However, there is a sense of pride in the accomplishments that follow. In this regard, Musk and Jobs are alike. Musk can get more out of people than anyone, not least themselves, thought was possible. He does this by giving people clear objectives, meaning something (clearly measurable) that should be solved or ready, within a specified timeline (often absurdly short), and often accompanied by some kind of restricting or guiding factor. If you deliver, you're in; if not, you're out. Here Musk’s way of thinking is critical – his stories give the urgency ‘why’, and his skills in making educated guesses helps him set the objectives, time frames and restrictions.
3. Effectiveness is more important than popularity
Being a manager at a Musk company isn't a quest for popularity; the goal is productivity. Musk himself earns respect by leading from the front—sometimes literally, by placing his desk in the middle of the factory floor. Complete with a pillow for the few hours of sleep he can manage to get. He describes his management style in one word: 'hardcore.'
The Hidden Costs of Being Elon Musk
There is a cost of Musk’s approach. First, he allocates his time solely based on his companies' agendas. This often means staying at an office or factory for days, catching only a few hours of sleep under a desk or on a couch. While he seems to care deeply about his family and, at times, his business contacts, his dedication to his objectives takes precedence. He is willing to sacrifice social connections, not out of a lack of concern, but in a calculated manner to further his goals.
Musk also pays a significant price in terms of his health. Although he appears to cope with stress on a psychological level, there are indications that his overall health suffers, and he can wake up in the middle of the night screaming. At work he can flip and go into a dark and destructive “demon mode”. Notably, Musk has not ventured into the longevity projects that are popular among tech billionaires. This likely reflects his realization that his intense lifestyle is not sustainable in the long term.
Scenarios Where Musk's Approach Thrives
No doubt, this approach excels in life-or-death situations—think handling an incoming asteroid, combating a pandemic, or spearheading a Manhattan Project. It's also possible for startups in their initial phases, provided that all employees adopt an "elite-worker" mindset. However, scaling this intense work ethos becomes increasingly challenging as a company grows into the hundreds or thousands of employees. In such cases, a hybrid model may be more applicable: a small, isolated unit within the company could operate under the Musk approach. Compare it to the isolated (and smelly) ‘skunk work’ factory at Lockheed, that in 1943 developed the fighter jet P-80 in a record 143 days, using similar approaches.
Emulating Musk: Feasible or Not?
While it's unlikely that modeling oneself entirely on Elon Musk as a person will yield success—given the unique combination of his personal characteristics, work ethic, and circumstances—there's undeniable value in studying his methods and mindset. From his way of thinking, to his focus on simplicity, and acceptance for taking risks, Musk's approach offers various elements that can be selectively integrated into one's own work or life. So, while becoming the next Elon Musk is and should be an unattainable goal for most, the insights gleaned from his life and career can serve as valuable components in your own recipe for success.