Musk in the eyes of his ex-wife: High pressure and chaos make him like a fish in water

Abstract:

According to "Business Insider", Elon Musk's ex-wife said chaos may not just be a management style of Musk, it is a state that makes him feel comfortable. Justine Musk talks about Musk's penchant for high-pressure situations in a trailer released on Tuesday. The trailer is an interview between Kara Swisher and documentary filmmaker Alex Gibney, whose upcoming documentary "Musk" is about to be released.

Musk and Justin

"I once described him as the kind of guy who could jump off a cliff and invent a parachute on the way down. I think he thrived in the chaos," Justin told Swisher of her ex-husband.

Justin is a writer and the mother of her transgender daughter, Vivian Jenna Wilson. She said the Tesla CEO's rhetoric often framed challenges as life-or-death emergencies and had an element of histrionics.

"Everything is a matter of life and death. I think that's really how he lives. His life has always been in a state of high tension." Justin said.

This statement can also be confirmed within Musk's company. At xAI, current and former employees told Business Insider that as Musk became more involved in the company, the company's priorities would suddenly change, with frequent high-intensity "war rooms" and a group chat with more than 300 engineers. Researchers interrupt ongoing work to address questions raised by Musk.

“Because the company is so small, everything is like a fire drill.” A former employee previously told Business Insider.

Musk’s willingness to make drastic changes and then quickly reverse some of those decisions predates xAI. In 2022, after acquiring Twitter, he significantly reduced Twitter's employees, and later said that some of the layoffs were excessive.

Justin said her ex-husband's high-pressure state would involve others, often without the other person realizing what was happening.

"He carries this state with him, and he has a way of getting you involved. It looks a lot like excitement at first. I always feel that there is a method behind his madness, and sometimes it seems like he uses a lot of tricks." Justin said.