LinkedIn Founder: Part of Elon Musk's Grit is to Push Back Against Obstacles

Reid Hoffman, LinkedIn co-founder, says regarding embattled Tesla founder Elon Musk, “Part of his grit, part of his determination to get to that long future is to push back against these obstacles. I just think it needs to be a different pattern than those tweets.”

LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman discussed how the rules need be redefined and that Elon Musk should tweet differently, but it’s all part of his determination to build something new:

A Proposal for SEC Rule Changing

I don’t actually look at it as breaking the rules, I look at it as trying to redefine the rules. As opposed to saying, let’s have decades of committee process trying to argue a different rule, let’s try to demonstrate how if we changed the rules the world would be a better place.

You still have to be controlled about which risks you’re taking and what damage to society you may do. But I actually don’t look at it as rule breaking, I look at it as a proposal for rule changing.

Risktaking is Classic for People Trying to Create Something From Nothing

I think it’s classic for the people who say, look we’re going to try to create something from nothing. We’re going to try to do this big thing that hasn’t been done before. I have a willingness to take risks, and so I will learn, oops, that risk I shouldn’t take.

I think we’re in a process of seeing both with Elon and other folks, oh yeah, we shouldn’t do that kind of tweet, that’s not actually in fact constructive.

Part of Elon Musk’s Grit is to Push Back Against Obstacles

I think what he’s focused on is saying look, I am trying to build something that’s three, five, ten years in the future and I don’t want to be like, what does this month look like or this quarter look like? So he’s interpreting it that way.

Part of his grit, part of his determination to get to that long future is to push back against these obstacles. I just think it needs to be a different pattern than those tweets.