Think you can handle Elon Musk as a boss? Tesla’s India hiring will test you

Produced by: Mohsin Shaikh

Brutal Expectations

Musk demands relentless work hours and extreme dedication, pushing employees to their absolute limits with no room for slacking.

Deadline Pressure

Tesla and SpaceX thrive on near-impossible deadlines, forcing teams to achieve what others consider unrealistic in record time.

Micromanager-in-Chief

From car designs to rocket components, Musk personally reviews details, making last-minute changes that can upend entire projects.

Twitter Chaos

His social media antics, from impulsive tweets to public feuds, have repeatedly put employees in awkward and stressful situations.

Retaliation Fears

Employees who challenge Musk's decisions—like those who criticized his leadership at SpaceX—have faced sudden firings.

Direct from Musk

SpaceX’s handbook instructed employees to treat Musk’s Twitter feed as an official source of company updates, blurring corporate communication.

Workplace Culture Shock

Meetings at Musk’s companies sometimes feature crude jokes and unconventional terminology, raising eyebrows among professionals.

Rules? What Rules?

Tesla and SpaceX operate with minimal bureaucracy, allowing rapid innovation—but also disregarding traditional corporate structures.

Unpredictable Moves

From Twitter mass layoffs to sudden policy changes, Musk’s rapid decision-making can shake up entire industries overnight.