Tesla Ex-Employee's Evaluation of Musk

According to the news on August 7th, an employee who had worked at Tesla for 8 years left the company this year. Recently, when being interviewed by the American magazine "Business Insider", he disclosed relevant inside stories and expressed his views on Musk. 

The following are the specific contents of his opinions:

Insufficient Leadership: The employee stated that Tesla has lost its focus on customer needs, and he lacks confidence in Elon Musk's leadership. He claimed that Musk's attention has been wavering. When he acquired Twitter, his focus on Tesla decreased. For a period in 2023, he almost left Tesla alone. However, in May 2023, he sent an email saying that all recruitments needed his approval. Apparently, he shifted more attention back to Tesla.

Changed Strategic Direction: This employee also said that Musk's personal mission for Tesla and the company's proclaimed mission are no longer the same. He seems not to want to develop the automotive business anymore but intends to use Tesla as an incubator for new technologies (such as AI) and other technology companies under his banner.

Frivolous Innovation: The employee believes that some of Tesla's design decisions in recent years, such as the Yoke steering wheel of the Model S and Model X, were not for creating something better but just a gimmick. Moreover, the upgraded designs of these two models look the same as the old models. This deviation in the innovation direction might stem from the company's misjudgment of market demands or might be deliberately done to attract attention.

Staff Cut Dampening Morale: The trigger that led this employee to finally decide to leave Tesla was the large-scale staff cut this year. Even though he had worked at Tesla for 8 years and almost devoted all his efforts to this company, he ultimately chose to leave.

Overall, this former Tesla employee believes that Musk's leadership style and decisions have had a negative impact on the company. However, Musk himself has not responded to these evaluations yet, and everyone's evaluation of others might also be influenced by personal viewpoints and experiences.