Tesla CEO and founder Elon Musk may be a borderline fanatical entrepreneur, but scolding an employee for missing an event to attend his child's birth is something he would never do, he says.
Responding to a quote attributed to him in Ashlee Vance's book Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future, Musk tweeted it's "total BS and hurtful," adding he would "never do that."
It is total BS & hurtful to claim that I told a guy to miss his child's birth just to attend a company meeting. I would never do that.— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 12, 2015
The quote Musk is referring to has him severely reprimanding an employee for his lack of commitment after he chose his child's birth over a company event.
“That is no excuse. I am extremely disappointed. You need to figure out where your priorities are. We’re changing the world and changing history, and you either commit or you don’t," the quote has him saying.
The book is coming out on May 19, and we haven't had access to it. However, according to The Washington Post, which included the quote in a list of most memorable quotes, it comes from "an anonymous Tesla employee recalling an e-mail from Musk after missing an event to witness the birth of his child." As far as sourcing goes, this is right there on the frayed edge of credibility.
In an earlier tweet, replying to a tweet from Vox Media containing the quote, Musk wrote the book was "not independently fact-checked" and should be taken with a "grain of salt."
@voxdotcom I have never written or said this. Ashlee's book was not independently fact-checked. Should be taken w a grain of salt.— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 12, 2015