The Tesla boss also has his downsides.
(Photo: AP)
Elon Musk has long been an idol for many start-up founders – and now that Tesla has built the new Gigafactory in Brandenburg in record time, the head of the electric car manufacturer is also praised as a role model in corporations and politics. Economics Minister Robert Habeck (Greens) said the “Tesla pace” should become a benchmark for other areas.
A trip from Grünheide a few kilometers to the west, to BER Airport, shows: Germany could use more of Musk’s doer mentality and assertiveness. But what is easily overlooked: As a pillar saint of a social market economy with green paint, he is hardly suitable, despite his electric cars. The richest man in the world is too singular for that, but also too self-important.
The fact that Musk has satellites and astronauts sent into space with SpaceX and is setting new standards in the automotive industry with Tesla is a unique entrepreneurial achievement. However, he benefited from a mixture of cheap capital and a lot of luck – both companies were now on the verge of bankruptcy. You have to be able to afford to take that risk.
In addition, Musk shows again and again that he only respects the limits of physics. He provoked the US Securities and Exchange Commission by ignoring their guidelines. He calls politicians who don’t agree with him “puppets made of smelly socks” or compares them to Hitler. And he sells customers an error-prone driver assistance system as an “autopilot” that repeatedly creates dangerous situations.
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His handling of the staff is always questionable. According to an estimate by IG Metall, Tesla pays 20 percent below the tariff in Grünheide. The co-determination model that has been tried and tested in Germany has no place in a company that is completely tailored to the boss.
Either you go along with it, or you get fired. It’s a management culture that many other companies are leaving behind – and with good reason.
Leaving aside the cult of personality, an important message can come from the building in Grünheide: German authorities can also be quick if the political will is there. It would be nice if the state not only made this possible for financially strong corporations like Tesla, but also for start-ups, medium-sized companies and the self-employed. Maybe there is someone among them who can become the German Elon Musk.