'Obscenely arrogant': Expert explains why 'callous' Musk inspires such animosity

01 April

Billionaire Elon Musk, leader of Tesla, SpaceX and X.com and head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), is the target of numerous protests in both the United States and aboard. The vast majority of the anti-Musk demonstrations are peaceful, although some of his opponents are resorting to acts of vandalism against Tesla vehicles.

Gene Marks, founder of the Marks Group (a consulting firm for small businesses), examines the anti-Musk animosity in an op-ed published by The Hill on March 31.

Marks defends Musk as a businessman but emphasizes that his personality and "management style' do a lot to fuel disdain for him.

"Why all the hate?" Marks writes. "Few people would deny that Musk is one of the most brilliant humans — let alone Americans — ever to walk the Earth. His companies are preparing to send people to Mars, rescuing astronauts from space, building electric vehicles, solving neurological diseases with computer chips, developing robots and advanced technology, linking cities together and, admit it, providing a free speech forum with all the expected vitriol…. And yet, people hate him."

Marks adds, "They burn the cars his company makes and the dealerships that sell them. They protest him. They hurl such insults as 'toxic' and 'Nazi.' Why?"

The Marks Group CEO goes on to offer an explanation.

"For starters," Marks observes, "he's obscenely arrogant…. He sends e-mails to federal employees as if they were his employees. He views his rivals with undisguised contempt…. He's also callous."

Marks continues, "For a man whose biggest accomplishments require patience, attention to detail and meticulous planning, it's interesting that Musk's management style is well, crash and burn."

Gene Marks' full op-ed for The Hill is available at this link.

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