Beautiful Virgin Islands

Tuesday, Jun 24, 2025

Elon Musk: 'I don't want to be CEO of anything'

Elon Musk: 'I don't want to be CEO of anything'

Elon Musk reiterated on Friday that he doesn't want to be Space X or Tesla boss. What's going on?
Tesla doesn't have a press office.


Its CEO, Elon Musk, says the company doesn't need one.

Instead, in a similar way to Donald Trump, he uses Twitter rather than press releases to communicate.

And on Friday, he was in full Elon Musk tweet mode.

A new book is coming out about the Tesla CEO. One story is that in 2016 - when Tesla was in trouble - Musk reached out to Apple's Tim Cook, who he thought might want to buy the company.

The story goes that Elon Musk insisted that as part of the deal, he be made CEO of Apple. Tim Cook told him where to go.

Without a press office to comment on the story, I asked Musk on Twitter whether this was true.

He responded:


But it was a follow up tweet that was particularly revealing


Elon Musk said something similar last month whilst giving evidence in court.

Talking about being CEO of Tesla, he said: "I rather hate it and I would much prefer to spend my time on design and engineering."

He also gave a reason for why he continues to be Tesla boss: "I have to or, frankly, Tesla is going to die."

That he is repeatedly saying he doesn't want to be CEO will worry some investors. Love him or loathe him, Musk's vision and force of personality has driven Tesla's incredible success.

Tesla is by far the most valuable car company in the world.

And yet it is striking that running that company isn't enough for Musk.

He's the boss of Space X - which was in April awarded a contract by NASA to put people onto the moon.

He also founded The Boring Company in 2016, which aims to revolutionise travel through advances in tunnelling technology. Perhaps tellingly, he is not CEO.

Musk gives the impression of a man trapped. He is clearly excited by ideas, innovation, engineering - the exciting start up part of a company.

But the transition from start up to large company turns the CEO position into a very different beast.

Apple's Steve Jobs, Google's Larry Page and Sergey Brin, Microsoft's Bill Gates were all visionaries.

The current CEOs of those companies are very different people. Apple's Tim Cook, Google's Sundar Pichai and Microsoft's Satya Nadella are more than capable leaders. But few would describe them as revolutionaries.

Elon Musk on the other hand projects the image of a swashbuckling entrepreneur. You get the feeling that the often administrative process of running a company does not excite him.

Along with tremendous growth, the Tesla boss has caused all sorts of headaches for Tesla shareholders.

He is currently being sued by shareholders who claim the carmaker's money was wasted on buying SolarCity, which - they say - was running out of money.

At the time of the deal, Mr Musk owned a 22% stake in both Tesla and SolarCity.

And in 2018 he agreed to step down as Tesla Chairman after tweeting that he was considering taking Tesla off the stock market and into private ownership.

Elon Musk may be the second richest person on the planet, but, strangely, he doesn't feel he has the freedom to do what he wants.

He's living proof that you're never too wealthy to be stuck in a job you don't like.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Germany and Italy Under Pressure to Repatriate $245bn of Gold from US Vaults
Airlines Evaluate Flight Cancellations Amid Escalating US-Iran Tensions
Starmer Invites Innovators to Join Government Talent Scheme
UK Economy’s Strong Opening Quarter Shows Signs of Cooling
Harrods Seeks Court Order to Secure Al Fayed Estate for Victims
BA and Singapore Airlines Cancel Dubai Flights Amid Middle East Tensions
Trump Faces Backlash from MAGA Base Over Iran Strikes
Meta Bets $14 B on Alexandr Wang to Drive AI Ambitions
WATCH: Israeli forces show the aftermath of a massive airstrike at Iran's Isfahan nuclear site
FedEx Founder Fred Smith, ‘Heart and Soul’ of the Company, Dies at 80
Chinese Factories Shift Away from U.S. Amid Trump‑Era Tariffs
Pimco Seizes Opportunity in Japan’s Dislocated Bond Market
Labubu Doll Drives Pop Mart to Status as China’s Most Valuable Toy Maker
Global Coal Demand Defies Paris Accord Goals
We have new information and breaking details to share about what is shaping up to be a historic air campaign tonight
Six Massive Bombs Dropped on Fordow; Trump: 'A Historic Moment for the U.S., Israel, and the World'
Fordow: Deeply Buried Iranian Enrichment Site in U.S.–Israel Crosshairs
United States Conducts Precision Strikes on Iran’s Nuclear Sites
US strikes Iran nuclear sites, Trump says
Pakistan to nominate Trump for Nobel Peace Prize.
BBC Demands Perplexity AI Immediately Stop Using Its Content
Telegram Founder: I Will Leave My Fortune to Over 100 of My Children
Political Turmoil Resurfaces in Belgium Amid Economic Concerns
Fed policymakers divided on timing of interest rate cuts
Trump signals imminent agreement with Harvard University
Inheritance tax referendum alarms Swiss billionaire community
Japan cancels bilateral security meeting amid US defence demands
AI skeptic Emily Bender warns that ‘the emperor has no clothes’
Israel Confirms Assassination of Quds Force Commander in Tehran
16 Billion Login Credentials Leaked in Unprecedented Cybersecurity Breach
Senate hearing on who was 'really running' Biden White House kicks off
Iranian Military Officers Reportedly Seek Contact with Reza Pahlavi, Signal Intent to Defect
FBI and Senate Investigate Allegations of Chinese Plot to Influence the 2020 Election in Biden’s Favor Using Fake U.S. Driver’s Licenses
Vietnam Emerges as Luxury Yacht Destination for Ultra‑Rich
Plans to Sell Dutch Embassy in Bangkok Face Local Opposition
China's Iranian Oil Imports Face Disruption Amid Escalating Middle East Tensions
Trump's $5 Million 'Trump Card' Visa Program Draws Nearly 70,000 Applicants
DGCA Finds No Major Safety Concerns in Air India's Boeing 787 Fleet
Airlines Reroute Flights Amid Expanding Middle East Conflict Zones
Elon Musk's xAI Seeks $9.3 Billion in Funding Amid AI Expansion
Trump Demands Iran's Unconditional Surrender Amid Escalating Conflict
Israeli Airstrike Targets Iranian State TV in Central Tehran
President Trump is leaving the G7 summit early and has ordered the National Security Council to the Situation Room
Taiwan Imposes Export Ban on Chips to Huawei and SMIC
Israel has just announced plans to strike Tehran again, and in response, Trump has urged people to evacuate
Netanyahu Signals Potential Regime Change in Iran
Juncker Criticizes EU Inaction on Trump Tariffs
EU Proposes Ban on New Russian Gas Contracts
Analysts Warn Iran May Resort to Unconventional Warfare
Iranian Regime Faces Existential Threat Amid Conflict
×