The Cavalry Captain Problem
Musk: If somebody is going to lead something in technology, they must themselves be good at technology. If they're going to lead something that involves complex engineering, they must themselves be good at engineering.
They don't need to be the best engineer on the team. But they need to be very competent in their field. This is incredibly important to me.
They don't need to be the best engineer on the team. But they need to be very competent in their field.
The Horse Analogy
Musk: If somebody's leading a given engineering department and they are not good at that, it would be like a cavalry captain who can't ride a horse. Great leader in every way — except you can't ride a horse. Then you've got to charge into battle and the cavalry captain falls off the horse. Not inspiring.
The cavalry captain must be able to ride a horse. Otherwise they cannot evaluate the talent of the team. And they don't understand the technology that's being developed. This may seem like a simple thing, but it is often overlooked.
A cavalry captain who can't ride a horse — great leader in every way, except you fall off when you charge.
The Boeing Question
Musk: I don't want to pick on the CEO of Boeing, but I think he's got a degree in accounting or something. You want to have someone who knows how airplanes work running the airplane company.
If you're running an airplane company, you should know how airplanes work, how they fly, and how to design them. I think that's pretty important.
If you're running an airplane company, you should know how airplanes work and how to design them.