Neutron Elon: Why Twitter's Boss Is More Like Jack Welch Than You Think
Massive layoffs, a cult following and the goal of complete domination: Musk and GE’s longtime chief have a lot in common, but is Elon’s star beginning to dim just as Welch’s has?
Elon Musk’s recent moves to put his stamp on Twitter Inc. call to mind another cult figure of corporate America — Jack Welch.
Both men have achieved mythic status in capitalism, generating vast wealth and cultivating slavish devotion in the process. Welch, who helmed General Electric Co. from 1981 to 2001, became famous for massive layoffs, championing shareholders over staffers and for financial engineering that ultimately led to catastrophe after he left. The style earned him the nickname “Neutron Jack.” Musk has a Steve Jobs-ian ability to know what customers want before they do, which has made him the world’s richest man and, now, the head of the world’s virtual town square.