Musk to all Tesla staff — “Communication Within Tesla”
April 2018 productivity email: kill excessive meetings, walk out when you add no value, drop acronyms, and route communication “via the shortest path,” not the chain of command.
Excessive meetings are the blight of big companies and almost always get worse over time. Please get rid of all large meetings, unless you're certain they are providing value to the whole audience […]. Also get rid of frequent meetings, unless you are dealing with an extremely urgent matter. Walk out of a meeting or drop off a call as soon as it is obvious you aren't adding value. It is not rude to leave, it is rude to make someone stay and waste their time. Don't use acronyms or nonsense words for objects, software or processes at Tesla. […] Communication should travel via the shortest path necessary to get the job done, not through the 'chain of command'. Any manager who attempts to enforce chain of command communication will soon find themselves working elsewhere. […] In general, always pick common sense as your guide. If following a 'company rule' is obviously ridiculous in a particular situation, such that it would make for a great Dilbert cartoon, then the rule should change.