LEAN IN:Elon Musk Says Attending the Birth of Your Child Is ‘No Excuse’ for Missing a Work Function

[Anonymous]

He seems like a bit of an ass.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Interview with Chris Anderson at SXSW 2013:

Then, in a kind of sad admission, he [Musk] says that he doesn’t see his kids enough, but that he’s able to be with them while on e-mail.

“Because they don’t need constant interaction, except when we’re talking directly,” he explains. “I find I can be with them and still be working at the same time.”

Anderson interrupts at this point, asking Musk to confirm — “Are you saying you can do e-mail while you’re with your children?”

“Yea, absolutely.” Musk repeats. “I mean, not all the time, but alot of the time… in the absence of that I would not be able to get my job done.”

“Wow, that’s impressive,” says Anderson while sort of shaking his head as the audience snickers uncomfortably. “I have five children and I can’t do e-mail while I’m with my children. It’s not good for the children and it’s really not good for the e-mail.”

Musk then says something about needing to have a nanny around before Anderson mercifully changes the topic to bail Musk out of a very uncomfortable moment. While you can hear some of it on the video, the clip doesn’t completely capture all the shocked gasps and whispers going around the audience during this exchange.

Around 34 min in:
https://vimeo.com/65395321

He gives me a pit in my gut. Shame on him. Well, at least he's not touting the work-life balance crap.

[Anonymous]

I actually had a discussion with DH about this. DH says that if you put yourself in Elon Musk's shoes...you see where he is coming from. He sees himself as advancing the future of mankind. He is putting men into space, he is coming up with innovative ways of preserving energy. If you believe that you are truly changing the world, and that is your main priority, it would come at the expense of every other thing, including work life balance. In a few hundred years, if all this suceeds, Elon Musk will be written down into the books of history just like Benjamin Franklin or Thomas Edison. Children on the other hand...that's a very personal decision and not overarching impacting mankind's future. People reproduce all over the world everyday.

Of course what Elon Musk does not understanding is many people don't think about the future of mankind, they also care about their own personal lifes and children. But if you see Elon's mindset, you can see why he would think diverting from that grand cause shows a lack of priority.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I actually had a discussion with DH about this. DH says that if you put yourself in Elon Musk's shoes...you see where he is coming from. He sees himself as advancing the future of mankind. He is putting men into space, he is coming up with innovative ways of preserving energy. If you believe that you are truly changing the world, and that is your main priority, it would come at the expense of every other thing, including work life balance. In a few hundred years, if all this suceeds, Elon Musk will be written down into the books of history just like Benjamin Franklin or Thomas Edison. Children on the other hand...that's a very personal decision and not overarching impacting mankind's future. People reproduce all over the world everyday.

Of course what Elon Musk does not understanding is many people don't think about the future of mankind, they also care about their own personal lifes and children. But if you see Elon's mindset, you can see why he would think diverting from that grand cause shows a lack of priority.

So he decided to have five kids as accessories?

[Anonymous]

He and his first wife had six kids in 8 years (one died of SIDS). Then he dumped her for a twenty-something actress. That just seems way, way off. Fine if you think you are doing important things for humanity, but why have so many kids and then just leave them when they're so little? I'm kind of horrified by him.

[Anonymous]

whats sad and depressing is our culture puts people like this on a pedestal

life on earth would be quite fine without capitalists pushing to change the world, ahem, making a lot of money for themselves.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:whats sad and depressing is our culture puts people like this on a pedestal

life on earth would be quite fine without capitalists pushing to change the world, ahem, making a lot of money for themselves.

Respectfully I disagree. If Elon musk succeeds in furthering space exploration or new innovative ways to conserve energy and the environment he would have made an indelible mark for the future of humanity. Unfortunately there have been many great men and women in history from all types of professions who were poor managers of their relationships and children. I am not agreeing with the way he has managed his family life, but the truth is that if he succeeds he will be remembered for his achievements and not his poor family relationships.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I actually had a discussion with DH about this. DH says that if you put yourself in Elon Musk's shoes...you see where he is coming from. He sees himself as advancing the future of mankind. He is putting men into space, he is coming up with innovative ways of preserving energy. If you believe that you are truly changing the world, and that is your main priority, it would come at the expense of every other thing, including work life balance. In a few hundred years, if all this suceeds, Elon Musk will be written down into the books of history just like Benjamin Franklin or Thomas Edison. Children on the other hand...that's a very personal decision and not overarching impacting mankind's future. People reproduce all over the world everyday.

Of course what Elon Musk does not understanding is many people don't think about the future of mankind, they also care about their own personal lifes and children. But if you see Elon's mindset, you can see why he would think diverting from that grand cause shows a lack of priority.

So he decided to have five kids as accessories?

He wod not e the first who did that and definitely not the last. Think of aristocracy who outsourced all their child rearing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I actually had a discussion with DH about this. DH says that if you put yourself in Elon Musk's shoes...you see where he is coming from. He sees himself as advancing the future of mankind. He is putting men into space, he is coming up with innovative ways of preserving energy. If you believe that you are truly changing the world, and that is your main priority, it would come at the expense of every other thing, including work life balance. In a few hundred years, if all this suceeds, Elon Musk will be written down into the books of history just like Benjamin Franklin or Thomas Edison. Children on the other hand...that's a very personal decision and not overarching impacting mankind's future. People reproduce all over the world everyday.

Of course what Elon Musk does not understanding is many people don't think about the future of mankind, they also care about their own personal lifes and children. But if you see Elon's mindset, you can see why he would think diverting from that grand cause shows a lack of priority.

Could he be a narcissist? And he is only in this position bc he won dot.com lottery with PayPal and then decided to blow his money and vc street crew on 'BIG' ideas. I don't think he himself has really been that inventive but determined to bring a big ego project to life?

[Anonymous]

Obviously an extreme viewpoint if true. I'm not sure who would work for this man under these conditions though. It's hard to change the world if no one is helping you do it...

Being dedicated to your job and making it a high priority does not mean that you check out of your own life and the lives of your SO and children.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Interview with Chris Anderson at SXSW 2013:

Then, in a kind of sad admission, he [Musk] says that he doesn’t see his kids enough, but that he’s able to be with them while on e-mail.

“Because they don’t need constant interaction, except when we’re talking directly,” he explains. “I find I can be with them and still be working at the same time.”

Anderson interrupts at this point, asking Musk to confirm — “Are you saying you can do e-mail while you’re with your children?”

“Yea, absolutely.” Musk repeats. “I mean, not all the time, but alot of the time… in the absence of that I would not be able to get my job done.”

“Wow, that’s impressive,” says Anderson while sort of shaking his head as the audience snickers uncomfortably. “I have five children and I can’t do e-mail while I’m with my children. It’s not good for the children and it’s really not good for the e-mail.”

Musk then says something about needing to have a nanny around before Anderson mercifully changes the topic to bail Musk out of a very uncomfortable moment. While you can hear some of it on the video, the clip doesn’t completely capture all the shocked gasps and whispers going around the audience during this exchange.

Around 34 min in:
https://vimeo.com/65395321

He gives me a pit in my gut. Shame on him. Well, at least he's not touting the work-life balance crap.

+1
No balance in this guy's life.

[Anonymous]

You can't be everything. You must choose. I have no idea where this notion of having it all comes from. You can't have it all, period. So choose and stop the whining already.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You can't be everything. You must choose. I have no idea where this notion of having it all comes from. You can't have it all, period. So choose and stop the whining already.

Who is whining? Do you just reflexively post this comment on every thread that contains the string "lean in"?

[Anonymous]

You can't be everything. You must choose. I have no idea where this notion of having it all comes from. You can't have it all, period. So choose and stop the whining already.

yes, he should have chosen to not have kids and instead concentrate on his work.

[Anonymous]

All the articles sound like they belong in the "The Onion." What a mi[url]serable human being.