Elon Musk and the Dangerous Myth of Omnigenius
The Tesla CEO is good at building cars and rockets. That doesn’t mean he’s good at everything else.
He’s no omnigenius.
Photographer: Win McNamee/Getty Images North AmericaElon Musk’s misadventures with DOGE might be the ultimate example of a powerful flaw in how we think about leaders. That’s our tendency to believe skills and accomplishments are portable, that someone who excels in one venue will be just as impressive in others. I call this exceptional — if imaginary — superpower “omnigenius.”
In reality, though, success doesn’t exist without context. While there’s no pleasure in watching Musk make a mess of the US government, maybe it will help clarify the crucial link between the two.
Musk and DOGE show how a leader can be empowered by the omnigenius fantasy. Musk has surely done remarkable things. For all Tesla Inc.’s current struggles, it transformed the automotive sector. And it’s almost impossible to overstate SpaceX’s revolutionary impact on the space industry.