Is Elon Musk an ‘absent CEO’ at Tesla? Expert's reply will shock you: ‘He does not have the time’

Is Elon Musk an ‘absentee CEO’ at Tesla? A senior journalist has said that the billionaire could be an absent CEO at his carmaking company, citing that he does not have the ‘time’ to sit down and do the job amid other responsibilities.

Alan Ohnsman, Forbes senior editor of transportation, told the news outlet that while Elon Musk may get briefs and updates, he is not doing what a chief executive officer is supposed to do.

“I'm sure he's getting briefs and updates. But he simply does not have the time to sit down. He's not doing extensive meetings. He's not getting the kinds of reviews,” he said.

Drawing comparison with other CEOs like Tim Cook and Sundar Pichai, the Forbes journalist said that it is ‘simply’ not possible for Musk to take on responsibilities amid other engagements.

“These big companies, they're big and complex with all sorts of complicated issues about suppliers and international problems and different things that are happening. You need to stay completely focused. It is simply not possible to do everything he is engaged in and do it well,” Ohnsman said.

The DOGE factor

The Forbes journalist also took note of Elon Musk's role at DOGE (Department of Government Efficiency), heading the department under the Donald Trump administration.

His new role at the government has made the Tesla boss shift his focus to federal job cuts as part of a wider cost-cutting plan, and Musk has been active in the role since he assumed the position of leader.

“This would perhaps also explain why there is some nervousness around Tesla because he has become so fully engaged in the DOGE project, that's clearly chewing up a lot of time,” Ohnsman said.

“He's in the White House with Donald Trump today. That means he's not meeting with folks at Tesla, and he's not focused on what needs to happen with that company,” he added.

The White House has said that Elon Musk is operating at DOGE as an unpaid government employee, which means he has responsibilities. Musk has been tasked by Trump with reducing costs of the federal government, primarily by identifying and cutting jobs of government employees who are no longer deemed needed.