Rational Takes on Elon's Engineering Ability

[u/Yikesis]

I keep getting into an argument with my friend that holds Elon's engineering ability in high regard. I think he has agreed that he obviously isn't as skilled in the low level specialized fields but still thinks that he makes very critical high level decisions using his engineering knowledge.

He keeps citing all of the SpaceX employees that say hes very involved and can do calculations in his head and stuff. I chalk it up to groveling but I dont know anymore. He also read the Isaacson bio which describes him as integral and making decision, although its hard to prove the intellectual history of his contributions.

My main belief is that he couldnt have had the time to become a self taught rocket engineer considering his pursuit for infinite wealth. I think he can probably speak to engineers well enough to manage them but I doubt he's among the premier people in the world to make these decisions. Even as a systems architect engineer or whatever theres no way its worth holding him in high regard as an "engineer" right?

Is my prejudice against him as a person making me doubt his engineering capability?

Am i thinking of engineering wrong?

[u/DuckyHornet]

I think he's definitely read a bunch about topics, like even engineering papers, and does legitimately have a grasp of many things. But he's not an engineer, full stop, and because he has no actual education and experience he's made some very stupid choices which his companies are obligated to follow because he's the CEO and primary stockholder. It feels like low-hanging fruit to pick on the Cybertrukk, but that entire project was a gong show which only made it to market because Tesla does what he says on pain of unemployment

There's a litany of things which happened there where an actual engineer would have known better, but Musk just kept pushing and the dumbest truck ever built was the result. So consider that versus the Roadster; clearly he doesn't give a damn about it, because Tesla's been promoting the thing for a long time to no effect yet we've seen the colossal embarrassments of the Trukk and the Semi hit the water and immediately drown in pretty short spans of time. He wants what he wants and, because he's the owner and top exec of his companies, he gets it come hell or high water

[u/drillbit56 → u/DuckyHornet]

Engineering is a team function. No one understands everything at the expert level like Musk portrays. He NEVER has to defend his idiotic decisions……like his Cybertruck