p.218
<< Zip2, Paypal, Tesla, Solar City — they are all expressions of musk. SpaceX is Musk. It’s foibles emanate directly from him, as do its successes. Part of this comes from musk’s maniacal attention to detail and involvement in every SpaceX endeavor. He’s hands-on to a degree that would make Hugh Hefner feel inadequate. Part of it stems from SpaceX being the apotheosis of the cult of Musk. Employees fear Musk. They adore Musk. They give up their lives for Musk, and they usually do all of this simultaneously.
People who know Musk will tend to describe him more as a general than a CEO, and this is apt. He’s built an engineering Army by having the pick of just about anyone in the business that SpaceX wants.
p.222 – 223
SpaceX and Musk also seem to inspire an unusual level of loyalty. Musk has managed to conjure up that Steve Jobs-like zeal among his troops. “His vision is so clear,” Singh said, “He almost hypnotizes you. He gives you the crazy eye, and it’s like, yes, we can get to Mars.”
… Numerous people interviewed for this book decried the work hours, musk’s blunt style, and his sometimes ludicrous expectations. It almost every person — even those who had been fired — still worshiped musk and talked about him in terms usually reserved for superheroes or deities. >>