4 ms·

It seems like Tesla and Spacex prove it’s quite possible to do at scale.

randallsquared 3y ago
Assuming by "it" here you mean > to organise a large group of people towards any common purpose, let alone profitably, let alone efficiently, especially in something so relatively new and little-understood as tech ...I don't think those are good examples. The very sympathetic recent bio of Musk details a lot of dysfunction in those organizations, and they largely achieve anyway by leaning on The Mission, working people harder, driving burnout, and then discarding them.
- api 3y ago
  That story of mission driven burnout happens a whole lot in human history. During the race to the moon in the 60s I recall reading about the epidemic of broken marriages and families around the space program due to overwork and burnout. A troubling question I often ask is: is it possible to do big things in a healthy balanced way? Or is greatness intrinsically a “Moloch” that demands human sacrifice? (That imagery was inspired by the 20s film Metropolis that touches on this question a little.) If the latter is true then I don’t think this bodes well for the future of our species. It means we either die in the fire of our own striving or we die quietly in mediocrity, but either way we die. There’s never a lasting positive outcome. BTW Elon Musk himself looks an awful lot like a victim of his own burnout culture. I suppose you can give him credit for taking his own medicine.
  - fnimick 3y ago
    I think it's not possible to do big things at the pace a vicious capital market demands in a healthy balanced way. Would you say Monet didn't do great things because he only produced on average about 3 paintings per year?
    - api 3y ago
      That’s certainly a source, but consider that this vicious capital market is largely driven by the fact that we all want to maximize returns on our savings. We are simultaneously pulling the buggy, riding in it, and whipping ourselves to go faster.
    - randallsquared 3y ago
      We don't have the social technology to accomplish goals that require significant incomes and outlays over multiple lifetimes; as soon as Musk and Shotwell are gone, SpaceX is likely to undergo faster mission drift. Therefore, if you have something you want accomplished, it has to be done fast enough to see it through, which drives urgency and fast pacing.

Assuming by "it" here you mean > to organise a large group of people towards any common purpose, let alone profitably, let alone efficiently, especially in something so relatively new and little-understood as tech ...I don't think those are good examples. The very sympathetic recent bio of Musk details a lot of dysfunction in those organizations, and they largely achieve anyway by leaning on The Mission, working people harder, driving burnout, and then discarding them.

api 3y ago
That story of mission driven burnout happens a whole lot in human history. During the race to the moon in the 60s I recall reading about the epidemic of broken marriages and families around the space program due to overwork and burnout. A troubling question I often ask is: is it possible to do big things in a healthy balanced way? Or is greatness intrinsically a “Moloch” that demands human sacrifice? (That imagery was inspired by the 20s film Metropolis that touches on this question a little.) If the latter is true then I don’t think this bodes well for the future of our species. It means we either die in the fire of our own striving or we die quietly in mediocrity, but either way we die. There’s never a lasting positive outcome. BTW Elon Musk himself looks an awful lot like a victim of his own burnout culture. I suppose you can give him credit for taking his own medicine.
- fnimick 3y ago
  I think it's not possible to do big things at the pace a vicious capital market demands in a healthy balanced way. Would you say Monet didn't do great things because he only produced on average about 3 paintings per year?
  - api 3y ago
    That’s certainly a source, but consider that this vicious capital market is largely driven by the fact that we all want to maximize returns on our savings. We are simultaneously pulling the buggy, riding in it, and whipping ourselves to go faster.
  - randallsquared 3y ago
    We don't have the social technology to accomplish goals that require significant incomes and outlays over multiple lifetimes; as soon as Musk and Shotwell are gone, SpaceX is likely to undergo faster mission drift. Therefore, if you have something you want accomplished, it has to be done fast enough to see it through, which drives urgency and fast pacing.