Tesla Inc TSLA CEO Elon Musk was one of the most insistent if not one of the first mega-cap bosses to order employees to return to the job site following the easing of COVID-19 lockdowns.
Five months later, when Musk became the owner and CEO of Twitter, his rampage — as the billionaire began to cut the social media’s staff in droves — echoed throughout the tech industry.
Musk’s eccentricity is paired with a hardline attitude that appears unforgiving. One expert, Delivering Happiness CEO Jenn Lim, went as far as to refer to Musk’s handling of Twitter layoffs as “inhumane,” according to Forbes.
His behavior while conducting layoffs at Twitter sparked fear and created chaos, according to Lim, who told the outlet, “These layoffs could have been better if done with empathy and by creating psychological safety in the moment.”
The question is, will Musk’s handling of Twitter secure the future success of the company and make it profitable during these tough economic times? According to Business Insider, who spoke to Salesforce CEO Mark Benioff earlier this year, “Every CEO in Silicon Valley has looked at what Elon Musk has done and has asked themselves, ‘Do they need to unleash their own Elon within them?'”
In comparison, Apple Inc AAPL CEO Tim Cook, who navigated post-COVID business strategies (which he, like Elon, asked employees to return to the worksite, albeit part-time) and the economic downturn, has taken a more tempered approach, according to Insider.
While Apple has so far refrained from any large-scale layoffs, Cook, unlike Musk, hasn’t announced changes to company policy, hirings or firings publicly or taken to any social media to threaten his workforce.
“Cook’s approach is likely less detrimental to employee happiness and company culture, because it’s more consistent,” experts told the outlet.
Professor at NYU School of Professional Studies, Ann Travis, believed Cook’s behavior as a CEO maintains trust with employees because he is more measured in his approach to business. In contrast, “What’s terrifying about what Musk is doing, is it’s complete terror,” she told Insider, adding “Really, that’s the word. Because [it’s] not clear. It’s impulsive, it’s emotional, it’s very subjective.”
Read Next: Memes Galore: Twitter Compares Elon Musk To Bill Gates, Tesla CEO Responds With Hilarious Comeback
Photo: Musk, Public Domain; Cook, Shutterstock)
