4 ms·

I mean, you're not wrong. The COO, Gwynne Shotwell, at SpaceX, is known to handle a lot of the day to day stuff, and I feel that further reinforces the point. I

I mean, you're not wrong. The COO, Gwynne Shotwell, at SpaceX, is known to handle a lot of the day to day stuff, and I feel that further reinforces the point. If she can handle all of that in her role as COO then what's the point of a CEO?

mc32 10mo ago
In many companies, probably being the main override. Trust but verify.
- prawn 10mo ago
  Maybe a bit like an ultimate funnel directing the broader effort of the company. That, plus brand/figurehead.
pinkmuffinere 10mo ago
Hot take: Musk is a great CEO. He's a horrible person, but I feel it's undeniable that his weight behind a project greatly increases the chance of interesting and profitable things happening (despite the over-optimistic claims and missed deadlines). I think he achieves this in large part _because_ he is an asshole, tweeting all the time to drum up publicity, being notorious for doing K, being too optimistic about what can be achieved, etc. I think somebody can be a good CEO without being such a jerk, it's just that Musk doesn't take the good-person strategy. And the bad-person strategy works well for him. A CEO's job is (roughly) to maximize a company's valuation. It is not to run the company themselves, not to be nice, not to improve the world. I'm not claiming this is what _should_ be, just how it _is_. By this metric, I think Musk has done really well in his role. Edit: Tangentially related -- at the end of the musical "Hadestown", the cast raise their glasses to the audience and toast "to the world we dream about, and the one we live in today." I think about that a lot. It's so beautiful, helps enforce some realism on me, and makes me think about what I want to change with my life.
- viraptor 10mo ago
  > being too optimistic about what can be achieved It's called "lying to customers and investors". > And the bad-person strategy works well for him. Worked. Tesla is not doing that well recently. Others are a bit better.
  - satvikpendem 10mo ago
    The first part works because otherwise reusable rockets wouldn't have been invented (or maybe they'd have been invented 20 years later). It's the same as Steve Jobs, the Android guys were still making prototypes with keyboards until they saw the all screen interface of the iPhone. Sometimes it requires a single individual pushing their will through an organization to get things done, and sometimes that requires lying.
    - ceejayoz 10mo ago
      > The first part works because otherwise reusable rockets wouldn't have been invented… Maybe, maybe not. We often see technology reach a threshold that allows for sudden progress, like Newton and Leibniz both coming up with calculus at around the same time (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leibniz%E2%80%93Newton_calculus_controversy https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leibniz%E2%80%93Newton_calculu...), or Darwin rushing to publish On The Origin of Species because someone else had figured out the same thing (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfred_Russel_Wallace https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfred_Russel_Wallace). SpaceX benefited immensely from massive improvements in computing power, sensors, etc.
      - satvikpendem 10mo ago
        It did, and it needed a direction to be pushed towards. Are you familiar with the great man theory of history [0]? It is no different here (well, historians these days use a blend of great man theory and historical materialism as you're stating in your example, as no one theory explains the majority of historical changes). [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_man_theory https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_man_theory
Alupis 10mo ago
A CEO will set the grand vision, long term goals, and direction for the company - typically approved by the board (which the CEO has to convince). The COO literally operates the company, while the CEO will nudge them in certain directions to accomplish broader goals.
- quintushoratius 10mo ago
  > A CEO will set the grand vision, long term goals, and direction for the company I thought determining vision/goals/direction was the responsibility of the board. The Chief Executive Officer is supposed to execute the board's wishes.
  - Alupis 10mo ago
    A board is often a consulting group. They're there to see the 30,000ft view of what's going on, areas that need focus, and suggest grand strategy/guidance. A board is usually comprised of executives from other companies. The CEO is usually the one selling the board on their vision and execution. The board acts like guard rails for that vision.

mc32 10mo ago

In many companies, probably being the main override. Trust but verify.

prawn 10mo ago
Maybe a bit like an ultimate funnel directing the broader effort of the company. That, plus brand/figurehead.

pinkmuffinere 10mo ago

Hot take: Musk is a great CEO. He's a horrible person, but I feel it's undeniable that his weight behind a project greatly increases the chance of interesting and profitable things happening (despite the over-optimistic claims and missed deadlines). I think he achieves this in large part _because_ he is an asshole, tweeting all the time to drum up publicity, being notorious for doing K, being too optimistic about what can be achieved, etc. I think somebody can be a good CEO without being such a jerk, it's just that Musk doesn't take the good-person strategy. And the bad-person strategy works well for him. A CEO's job is (roughly) to maximize a company's valuation. It is not to run the company themselves, not to be nice, not to improve the world. I'm not claiming this is what _should_ be, just how it _is_. By this metric, I think Musk has done really well in his role. Edit: Tangentially related -- at the end of the musical "Hadestown", the cast raise their glasses to the audience and toast "to the world we dream about, and the one we live in today." I think about that a lot. It's so beautiful, helps enforce some realism on me, and makes me think about what I want to change with my life.

viraptor 10mo ago
> being too optimistic about what can be achieved It's called "lying to customers and investors". > And the bad-person strategy works well for him. Worked. Tesla is not doing that well recently. Others are a bit better.
- satvikpendem 10mo ago
  The first part works because otherwise reusable rockets wouldn't have been invented (or maybe they'd have been invented 20 years later). It's the same as Steve Jobs, the Android guys were still making prototypes with keyboards until they saw the all screen interface of the iPhone. Sometimes it requires a single individual pushing their will through an organization to get things done, and sometimes that requires lying.
  - ceejayoz 10mo ago
    > The first part works because otherwise reusable rockets wouldn't have been invented… Maybe, maybe not. We often see technology reach a threshold that allows for sudden progress, like Newton and Leibniz both coming up with calculus at around the same time (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leibniz%E2%80%93Newton_calculus_controversy https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leibniz%E2%80%93Newton_calculu...), or Darwin rushing to publish On The Origin of Species because someone else had figured out the same thing (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfred_Russel_Wallace https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfred_Russel_Wallace). SpaceX benefited immensely from massive improvements in computing power, sensors, etc.
    - satvikpendem 10mo ago
      It did, and it needed a direction to be pushed towards. Are you familiar with the great man theory of history [0]? It is no different here (well, historians these days use a blend of great man theory and historical materialism as you're stating in your example, as no one theory explains the majority of historical changes). [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_man_theory https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_man_theory

Alupis 10mo ago

A CEO will set the grand vision, long term goals, and direction for the company - typically approved by the board (which the CEO has to convince). The COO literally operates the company, while the CEO will nudge them in certain directions to accomplish broader goals.

quintushoratius 10mo ago
> A CEO will set the grand vision, long term goals, and direction for the company I thought determining vision/goals/direction was the responsibility of the board. The Chief Executive Officer is supposed to execute the board's wishes.
- Alupis 10mo ago
  A board is often a consulting group. They're there to see the 30,000ft view of what's going on, areas that need focus, and suggest grand strategy/guidance. A board is usually comprised of executives from other companies. The CEO is usually the one selling the board on their vision and execution. The board acts like guard rails for that vision.