Elon Musk: Don't just look at resumes when hiring.

Image source: Allison Robbert/AFP via Getty Images

Billionaire CEO Elon Musk stated that finding the right talent is not easy in the race for technological dominance.

Musk is known for his hands-on leadership style (he jokingly calls it “nano-management”). The same applies to hiring. He said that in the early days of SpaceX, he personally interviewed the first few thousand employees, and only stopped when he simply ran out of time.

In a podcast co-hosted with Stripe co-founder John Krafcik and tech podcast host Devaksh Patel, Musk said he now relies more on his team to identify “amazing qualities” in candidates and asks them to provide “proof of exceptional ability” in bullet points.

Musk said, “I usually tell others—actually, I remind myself—not to just look at resumes. Trust in face-to-face communication. Resumes may look very impressive… but if after 20 minutes of talking you don’t feel ‘amazed,’ then trust the conversation, not what’s on paper.”

This strategy has proven effective. Musk added that Tesla’s current executive team has an average tenure of 10 to 12 years. However, he also mentioned that during the company’s rapid early growth, executive turnover was quite frequent.

He recalled a period when companies like Apple launched a “carpet bombing” campaign, aggressively calling Tesla executives and engineers to poach them. According to CNBC, in 2018, Apple hired 46 former Tesla employees for its then-scrapped electric vehicle project and other roles.

Musk said that at the time, the industry generally believed Tesla employees carried a certain “star aura,” as if working at Tesla automatically endowed them with qualities essential for success. He explained that Apple’s offered salaries at that time were often twice those of Tesla’s, and that it was easier to poach talent in Silicon Valley because employees could switch companies without relocating or changing their lifestyles.

Musk’s five companies employ a total of 200,000 people, and he admitted he has made some mistakes in hiring.

He said, “I myself have fallen into the trap of this ‘star aura,’ thinking: ‘Oh, if we poach someone from Google or Apple, they’ll succeed immediately.’”

But he added that an impressive resume and excellent work history do not tell the whole story. He believes that a candidate’s talent, initiative, and reliability are equally important.

He stated, “I think kindness is very important. I once underestimated this. So, you need to assess: Are they kind? Are they trustworthy? Are they smart and diligent?”

Personnel Changes in Musk’s Companies

Recently, Musk’s companies have experienced a wave of executive departures: some left to start their own ventures or take a break, while others left due to burnout, disappointment with his political stance, strategic decisions, or recent layoffs.

According to the Financial Times, in recent years, Tesla’s Chief Information Officer, along with several senior managers in the public affairs department and the U.S. battery and powertrain business, have resigned.

Meanwhile, Musk’s startup xAI has also seen personnel changes. CFO Mike Liberto left after just three months to join OpenAI. He wrote on LinkedIn, “102 days—working 7 days a week; over 120 hours per week; I can only say it’s been a crazy experience.”

Several employees told the Financial Times that Musk has applied greater pressure on xAI staff, which they believe is related to his competitive and personal conflicts with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman.

Last August, as an early investor in OpenAI, Musk filed an antitrust lawsuit against OpenAI and Apple, accusing them of trying to limit competition in the AI field. OpenAI, in turn, accused Musk of harassment and attempting to slow the company’s development. (Fortune China)

Translator: Liu Jinlong

Proofreader: Wang Hao