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I think Elon Musk made a huge mistake. Yeah, you can be the master of the universe, the world’s richest person. Whatever. Yet, you can still screw up.
And that’s exactly what I think old Elon did when he issued his, “Remote work is no longer acceptable”, email to his executive staff on May 31, 2022.
Now, the funny thing is, I actually agree with just about everything Elon wrote in the second email, “To be super clear”, he sent. Elon explains his logic about why he wants his staff working on site.
And, as I said, Elon’s right. You do your best work when you’re in the same building as your colleagues. Yeah, you can Zoom, and you can Slack to your heart’s content, but nothing replaces face to face interaction.
That’s why Elon is right. However, even though having your team working all in the same building is always going to be the preference, you can build a successful startup with a remote team. And that’s why I think Elon screwed up.
Your employees have a choice.
Read the first email Musk sent his staff, and you’re left with the feeling that you’re hearing from a bully. Maybe you can get away with being a bully when you’re the richest person in the world, but it leaves a bad taste in your mouth when you work for a bully.
