It’s not every day you see a technology tycoon discussing his next aero-vehicle launch into space in the morning and arguing with social media gadflies about $8-per-month Twitter verification charges by lunch.
But then again, when you’re talking about Elon Musk, it’s best to expect the unexpected – that way you’ll never be disappointed.
Musk, the co-founder of PayPal, the founder of SpaceX, and the chief executive officer of both Tesla (TSLA) and Twitter, is a Zelig for the digital age. Seemingly appearing everywhere at once, Musk’s estimated personal wealth tops $181.3 billion in mid-December, 2022.
In a year of global discord across the board, Musk is now making waves as the majority owner of Twitter, the global social media “public square” giant.
No doubt about it, his reign at the company has been either chaotic or cathartic, depending on where you lean politically.
Musk's Top Quotes for 2022
Love him or hate him, Musk knows how to get his nose in the news, as each of these 2022 quotes and comments can attest.
On Tesla’s value as a global business. Musk certainly expects big things from Tesla, and not just from an engineering point of view. He also expects the company’s value to hold up against some of the biggest names in business.
Currently, Tesla’s estimated value is approximately one-third of Apple and Saudi Aramco, but at $700 billion in value, the EV manufacturer is coming on fast.
On his reputation as a Wall Street player. Don’t call Musk a dollar-chaser – he won’t like that.
Even though barely an hour goes by on Wall Street when Musk’s name pops up among traders, the business tycoon has no interest in centralizing his various business operations for easier asset management under an umbrella company.
On his affinity for shareholders. While Musk can cast off the cloak of a business oracle and kick it aside so he can don a lab coat, he does have an affinity for his shareholders.
On what he expects from Twitter staffers. Like most highly successful CEOs, Musk can be a tough taskmaster and expects maximum effort from his employees. Yet what he said upon taking ownership of the social media company raised a lot of eyebrows – especially inside Twitter.
On ‘checking boxes’ that could change Twitter employees’ lives. As a business leader with a deep background in technology, Musk can’t help himself when issuing a huge “ask” from Twitter staff – especially in the way he phrases big requests to employees.
Once a staffer clicked on the form, that employee was either steered via an online form to how to proceed as a Twitter employee or to human resources, where a company exit package would be waiting.
The subject line Musk used in the email memo?
On his immediate future as a human being. Musk wants to reassure the world that he’s happy and plugged into what he’s doing as a CEO immersed in operating multiple big-name global companies.
His mental health, he says, is just fine, thank you very much.
It’s not the first time Musk has commented on his own mortality in recent months.
In May, Musk tweeted somewhat ominously...
