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How Does Elon Musk Allocate His Time at Work?

5.3M views
•
January 10, 2017
by
Y Combinator
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How Does Elon Musk Allocate His Time at Work?

TL;DR

Elon Musk dedicates about 80% of his work time to engineering and design, primarily at SpaceX and Tesla. He splits his time among these companies and also engages with OpenAI for half a day each week, focusing on product development, specifically the Falcon 9, Dragon spacecraft, and Model 3.

Transcript

how do you spend your days now like what what do you my time is mostly split what's between SpaceX and Tesla and of course I I try to spend it's a part of every week at open E I so I spend most I spend basically half a day at opening I most weeks and then and then I have some opening I stuff that happens during the week but other than that it's rea... Read More

Key Insights

  • 🚀 Elon Musk spends most of his time split between SpaceX, Tesla, and OpenAI, with about half a day per week dedicated to OpenAI.
  • 💡 80% of Musk's time is focused on engineering and design, particularly in developing the next generation products.
  • 🏭 Musk is heavily involved in engineering and design at both SpaceX and Tesla, actively working on improving Falcon 9, Dragon spacecraft, and the Model 3.
  • 🔬 During a tour of SpaceX, Musk impressed others by demonstrating his deep knowledge of every detail of the rockets and engineering involved.
  • 💼 While some may see Musk as a businessperson, he considers himself primarily an engineer, leaving business management to his team at SpaceX, like COO Gwynne Shotwell.
  • 🎨 Musk spends a significant portion of his week in the design studio, handling aesthetic and look-and-feel aspects of Tesla's products.
  • 🌎 Musk's engineering focus extends to the development of a sustainable and efficient manufacturing process for Tesla, not just the cars themselves.
  • ⚙️ Musk's time at OpenAI, SpaceX, and Tesla demonstrates his commitment to pushing the boundaries of engineering and design across various industries.

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Questions & Answers

Q: How does Elon Musk split his time between SpaceX, Tesla, and OpenAI?

Elon Musk spends a significant portion of his time at SpaceX, focusing on engineering and design with the goal of improving the Falcon 9, Dragon spacecraft, and developing Martian colonization architecture. At Tesla, he dedicates time to the design studio for the Model 3 and oversees the engineering of the car and factory infrastructure. Additionally, Musk spends time at OpenAI on a weekly basis.

Q: What is the main focus of Elon Musk's time at SpaceX?

The majority of Elon Musk's time at SpaceX is spent with the engineering team, working on enhancing the Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft. He is deeply involved in the development of Martian colonization architecture, demonstrating his commitment to pushing the boundaries of space exploration.

Q: How does Elon Musk balance his roles as a business person and engineer?

While many people perceive Elon Musk as primarily a business person, he spends the majority of his time on engineering and design. He leaves the business aspect to his colleagues, such as Gwynne Shotwell, the COO of SpaceX, who handles legal, finance, sales, and other general business activities. Musk's true passion lies in working on the technical aspects of SpaceX and Tesla.

Q: What specifically does Elon Musk focus on at Tesla?

At Tesla, Elon Musk devotes a considerable amount of time to the design studio, focusing on the aesthetics, look, and feel of the vehicles. He also spends a significant portion of his time on engineering, both in terms of the car itself and the manufacturing processes at Tesla's factories. Musk's involvement ensures that the Model 3 meets his design and engineering standards.

Summary & Key Takeaways

  • Elon Musk spends most of his time on engineering and design, with 80% of his focus dedicated to creating the next generation of products.

  • At SpaceX, Musk is heavily involved in the engineering team, working on improving the Falcon 9 and Dragon spacecraft as well as developing Martian colonization architecture.

  • At Tesla, Musk is actively involved in the design studio, dedicating a significant amount of time to the aesthetics and overall engineering of the Model 3 and the factory infrastructure.


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