Elon Musk says there are too many non-technical managers at Boeing

🌈 Abstract

The article discusses Elon Musk's criticism of Boeing for having "too many non-technical managers", amid Tesla's ongoing layoffs.

🙋 Q&A

[01] Musk's Criticism of Boeing

1. What is Elon Musk's criticism of Boeing?

• Elon Musk suggested that Boeing has "too many non-technical managers", implying that this is a contributing factor to Boeing's cost overruns and delays with the Starliner spacecraft.
• Musk believes that technical managers with hands-on experience and expertise are important, and that non-technical managers focused on broader aspects like strategy and decision-making are less suitable for technical projects.

2. What is the context for Musk's criticism of Boeing?

• Musk's tweet came just hours before Boeing's Starliner spacecraft was set to make its first launch attempt, after years of delays and setbacks.
• In 2014, NASA awarded Boeing $4.2 billion and SpaceX $2.6 billion to develop commercial crew systems to transport astronauts to the International Space Station. Despite receiving less funding, SpaceX beat Boeing in launching its Crew Dragon capsule in 2020.

[02] Tesla Layoffs

1. What is the status of Tesla's layoffs?

• Tesla continued its wave of layoffs over the weekend, with a fourth round of layoff notices sent out on Sunday evening.
• The company had previously announced it was cutting more than 10% of its workforce last month, citing "duplication of roles and job functions in certain areas" as the reason.
• The layoffs have impacted multiple teams, including several executives, as Musk told higher-ups that Tesla needs to be "absolutely hardcore about headcount".