Tesla CEO Elon Musk has remained hell-bent on bringing the Model 3 electric car into mass production, but the company has experienced its fair share of issues along the way. Many analysts balk at Tesla’s strategy and contrast it with the efficient practices of established automakers like General Motors and Toyota.
Musk knows his company is different, and he fired a shot at GM in a recent interview with Bloomberg. The Tesla CEO recalled his time sleeping at the factory in Fremont, California—the former NUMMI plant both GM and Toyota shared. As Musk worked to push Model 3 production and squeeze out efficiencies, the CEO started sleeping in his office, on the floor or on a couch.
“The reason I slept on the floor was not because I couldn’t go across the road and be at a hotel. It was because I wanted my circumstances to be worse than anyone else at the company. Whenever they felt pain, I wanted mine to be worse,” he told Bloomberg.
The CEO then took a shot at GM’s corporate culture.
“You know, at GM they’ve got a special elevator for executives so they don’t have to mingle with anyone else,” he said. He added his desk is the smallest in the factory and he’s rarely present. Instead, he often spends his time on the floor working with other employees.
“The reason people in the paint shop were working their asses off was because I was with them. I’m not in some ivory tower,” Musk added.
GM spokesperson Ray Wert responded to Musk’s elevator comment and said, “Typical Elon, deflecting from the real issue, which is the ability to mass-produce at scale and with quality.” GM continues to build and sell the Model 3-rivaling Chevrolet Bolt EV.
Comments
Karoshi is just as bad for America as it is for Japan, Elon.
Take it from the Old Trombone, left-looney, pro-electric, future-lover. Over-work is under-quality. Every. Single. Time.
Isn’t Tesla the perfect model of this? Musk is all over the headlines and his workers can’t get away from him, while his cars still aren’t right. The grand-master show-sleeping in his office at night while he can’t be found there during the day because he’s “working alongside” the workers. Workers have to make him feel important, instead of actually doing the work or confidently criticizing the procedures at their station they know so well, which is how Toyota does it. And Toyota has special office perks too, y’know…
I learned in my first job after university that Karoshi (show-overwork) is the shortest-timeframe for project failure. Because I ensured that my work was paid properly and my administrators provided real support instead of asking workers to provide the admin’s with career-show demonstrations, my customer base grew from 4 to over 500 weekly payments and I was able to offer stable work, properly compensated, and in particular properly administratively supported so that nobody had to sleep at their desk to get the job done. In four years I created 5 stable jobs (for musicians, no less) that have lasted over 25 years in a village of only 8000 people.
Karoshi only ever looks good for a short time until the inevitable unsustainability of charity-for-the-boss leads to poor quality and suicide. Again, overwork leads to under-quality, every single time.
S’funny, having worked with Japanese factory manager people for years while teaching in Vietnam, and then later teaching US Congress folks’ children in 2 schools on Capitol Hill and NVA, it’s very clear to me that both Japan and America have Karoshi, however, how they deal with it is different. In Japan, Karoshi leads to suicide, and the safest jobs are in upper management. In America, Karoshi leads to blame-the-underling, and the safest jobs are in HR…
Karoshi is just as bad for America as it is for Japan, Elon.
Take it from the Old Trombone, left-looney, pro-electric, future-lover. Over-work is under-quality. Every. Single. Time.
Isn’t Tesla the perfect model of this? Musk is all over the headlines and his workers can’t get away from him, while his cars still aren’t right. The grand-master show-sleeping in his office at night while he can’t be found there during the day because he’s “working alongside” the workers. Workers have to make him feel important, instead of actually doing the work or confidently criticizing the procedures at their station they know so well, which is how Toyota does it. And Toyota has special office perks too, y’know…
I learned in my first job after university that Karoshi (show-overwork) is the shortest-timeframe for project failure. Because I ensured that my work was paid properly and my administrators provided real support instead of asking workers to provide the admin’s with career-show demonstrations, my customer base grew from 4 to over 500 weekly payments and I was able to offer stable work, properly compensated, and in particular properly administratively supported so that nobody had to sleep at their desk to get the job done.
Karoshi only ever looks good for a short time until the inevitable unsustainability of charity-for-the-boss leads to poor quality and suicide. Again, overwork leads to under-quality, every single time.
S’funny, having worked with Japanese factory manager people for years while teaching in Vietnam, and then later teaching US Congress folks’ children in 2 schools on Capitol Hill and NVA, it’s very clear to me that both Japan and America have Karoshi, however, how they deal with it is different. In Japan, Karoshi leads to suicide, and the safest jobs are in upper management. In America, Karoshi leads to blame-the-underling, and the safest jobs are in HR…
Read more: http://gmauthority.com/blog/2018/07/tesla-ceo-elon-musks-takes-a-shot-at-general-motors/#ixzz5LQTtZrtl
You know GM people do not need to sleep on the floor because they know how to MFG product.
Every company and every man need to know the limitations.
What many people miss with so many of the top leaders of a company is that to get where they got to they put in much more than 40 hours a week. They missed their kids growing up. They often have had to uproot and move every 4-5 years, they are now on their 3rd or 4th marriage.
They go through all this for a couple years at the top where they take hits from everyone all while trying to steer a company to profits and trouble free product.
It is not often an easy life or cushy existence. Many suffer health issue or even drinking issues like HF II.
The truth is when we are all born we are born with nothing and what we make with our lives are often due to our choices and sacrifice. The path to the top is not paved with gold for an easy ride. But if you are willing to do what it takes anyone can become a CEO. This is not like winning a lottery.
I have spent time with many CEO’s of the tire industry and I saw first hand what they had to do and what they were faced with. Yes they were paid well but they also were not 9-5 people and often had much personal sacrifice.
No I do not feel sorry for them because they chose to be there but then again I do not begrudge them for what they have accomplished.
Elon a good manager of a company would have had the right people in place to run the MFG process of a growing company. The fact you are sleeping symbolically on the floor is a sign of mismanagement. But then you made your choice.
What are you going to do accuse someone else of being a Pedo because they publically called you what you are.
“The reason I slept on the floor was not because I couldn’t go across the road and be at a hotel. It was because I wanted my circumstances to be worse than anyone else at the company. Whenever they felt pain, I wanted mine to be worse,”
No one thinks greater of you for choosing to sleep on the floor just to experience pain for the sake of pain. That’s absurd and weird. Sleeping at the office due to work is fine, sleeping at the office to portray yourself as a martyr is pathetic.
Of course he is sleeping on the floor. California housing is expensive. Tesla has been around for 15 years. And they still have not made a profit. Few more years and he’ll be living in a homeless tent city under interstate 880.
screw tesla! first of all, their products are crap anyway. This company needs to get shut down ASAP. This is like the modern day Buell Motorcycle company , except Erik Buell made good stuff they just had no backing. Tesla sucks! they’ve sucked since they were created and they’ll suck until the company dies. No one wants your cars bud! no one cares you slept on the floor, cry me a river and get my violin! Oh your poor CEO soul you sacrificed 8hrs of your life sleeping on your office floor to bear the pains of your employees who sleep peacefully in hotel beds to come to work the next day to continue building the crap your company produces. Well excuse my v8 Loving, Coal-Rollin’, home grown American a$$ for not giving a rat’s @$$ about you or anything about your business ethics, you company or your pathetic mellow-dramatic antics to get attention. The only thing I care about with tesla is the date this company shuts down, goes up in flames and goes to hell!
i would think the primary job of a ceo is to put the right people in place to make sure you meet your goals.
this narrative he is pushing is ridiculous. seems like he is trying to build his own mythology since he can’t profitably build cars.
I’d say the way this guy is going, he’s like 6mo to year from starting to collect jars of his own pee in his bed room and announcing he’s going to build the worlds biggest car out of wood…….The Spruce Coupe!
Sounding more and more like Trump every day. A few days ago, he was attacking a diver in Thailand part of the rescue effort. What an azz!
To all the Trump supporters and traitors out there, I trust you enjoyed the Putin/Trump tag team thrashing NATO and all US institutions.
It was quite interesting to see the Traitor and Putin thrashing and discrediting US intelligence/judicial/law enforcement. The Putin team are popping champagne right now. What a coup.
11/18/56-USSR/Khrushchev-“We will take America without firing a shot. We do not have to invade the U.S.-We will destroy you from within…”
WELL DONE MR. PUTIN. MISSION ACCOMPLISHED.
Explain how a quote from nearly seven decades ago, followed by a complete governmental and mindset revamp, is still relevant today.
Also, explain how or why Putin or any Russian person gains from this driven you call “mission accomplished”.
Alex,
If you watch the press conference, it will become clear to you.
let’s see …….
putin would like to see a weakened nato, eu, europe, etc … trump is doing a great job putting down our allies.
trump goes in front of the world and basically gives equal weight to putin and his own intelligence service.
trump turns a blind eye to the russian annexation of crimea. trump turns a blind eye to the 12 indictments just handed out by the special investigation.
putin/trump are using the same tactic of attacking a free press. criticism is branded fake news.
but of course, you are going to argue russia is a great democracy right?
Which US intelligence agencies again?
The ones that possibly killed JFK?
The Cocaine Importation Agency CIA?
The ones that toppled regimes and started coups in other countries?
Oh and what did the russian hackers expose?
That the DNC was corrupt and rigging its own electoral process…..just like the CIA likes to do…..
All I can say is oh the drama!
They must’ve made the factory door massive to fit his ego through it.
That’s why it’s now a tent with a totally open side.