Reportedly, some SpaceX employees breathed a sigh of relief when their billionaire CEO Elon Musk devotes most of his time and energy to struggling Twitter.
Reportedly, Musk has taken a “less lively role” in SpaceX’s operations since buying Twitter for $44 billion in late October, and handed over more responsibility to his deputy Gwynne Shotwell, who serves as the space company’s president and chief operating officer.
Current and former SpaceX employees he told Bloomberg the corporate’s workflow has not been affected, and its workplaces have an “apparent calm” even “when Musk is concentrated elsewhere.”
Former employees said Musk’s involvement often resulted in extra work, such as in cases where the billionaire “demanded change for sometimes arbitrary reasons.”
While running SpaceX, Musk asked for hardware refurbishment if he felt it wasn’t aesthetically pleasing or its components seemed too complex. His directives resulted in a redesign that “takes weeks to finish.”
In accordance with the report, periods when Musk is more directly involved with SpaceX often impact the recruiting process, with the director withholding approval of potential candidates or taking breaks when he feels the corporate is already overburdened.
The report cited one instance where Musk demanded the team working on SpaceX’s “Crew Dragon” manned spacecraft to attend a gathering on Saturday and force them to stick with their preferred launch schedule. The directive allegedly “shocked” employees who desired to focus on safety.
“Given this story, some current employees expressed relief at Musk’s recent focus on Twitter,” Bloomberg said within the report.
Employees say Musk stays an integral part of setting SpaceX’s long-term agenda, such as its goal of establishing a everlasting base on Mars.
The Post contacted SpaceX for comment on the report.
Twitter account @ElonJetNextDaya site run by college student Jack Sweeney, which tracks the movements of Musk’s private jet with a 24-hour delay, noted earlier this month that the plane had not made a visit to SpaceX’s nearest “Starbase” airport in Texas since last October.
Musk took a hands-on approach to running Twitter, naming himself CEO and settling into the corporate’s San Francisco headquarters. The 51-year-old has personally led major changes on the social media company, including mass layoffs and an overhaul of its paid subscription service.
Musk has irritated some Twitter employees together with his leadership style – at one point he demanded that other employees “resolve” to a “hardcore” work environment or quit.
Meanwhile, SpaceX has moved forward with its list of closely scrutinized projects, including plans to conduct the primary business spacewalk later this 12 months and construct an enormous spacecraft, a vessel destined for future missions to the Moon and Mars.
Earlier this month, reported CNBC that SpaceX has raised a further $750 million in funding at a $137 billion valuation.