12. Elon Musk
CEO, Tesla – 2008-present, Founder, SpaceX, Owner, X Corp
“Direct”, “erratic” and “boorish” are all words panellists who nominated Elon Musk used to describe the colourful tech billionaire.
From Tesla and X Corp to Starlink and SpaceX, none of Musk’s companies can be said to be ‘vendors’ in the traditional sense.
But reflecting his status as a tech visionary who is reshaping the world, five of the channel leaders we approached nevertheless felt the world’s richest person deserved a spot in their top five (Musk’s tech rival Mark Zuckerberg could only muster one vote).
One of two South Africa-born CEOs featured, at 53, Musk is also the third youngest in the top 30.
Leadership style
Notoriously demanding of staff, in 2022 Musk famously gave Twitter’s remaining employees the choice of either working “long hours” or exiting the company.
But he also leads by example, regularly working 85-100-hour weeks, skipping breakfast and sleeping on the Tesla factory floor (see more here). He is also known for breaking his day into five-minute “blocks”.
Without this passion and dedication, there would simply be no Tesla, SpaceX or Starlink, Musk’s proponents would argue.
Low points
Musk’s tweets on topics ranging from British rescue divers to Tesla’s share price have regularly landed him in hot water.
Killer quote
“I don’t have time to go home and shower…I don’t believe like people should be experiencing hardship while the CEO is like off on vacation.” (taken from 2018 interview – see here)
What our panellists said about Musk
Jenni Riley, Co-Founder, ITARMI
“I like his forward thinking mindset. He is just direct and to the point and gets things done. I know he is known for being erratic but I see him as someone who only expects what he himself is willing to do and I admire that.”
Alex Tatham, formerly Executive Director, Westcoast
“’Elon Musk is boring!’ – was the headline in a paper some time ago. Far from being a personality trait, he has been creating a tunnel on the westcoast of the US to transport us all in Teslas! It would be hard to attribute the word boring to Elon Musk – boorish perhaps? – but he patently creates interest and stories everywhere. His influence on today’s technology industry feels cutting edge wheresoever he plays. This includes my personal favourite – his satellite networking business – Starlink – only because it is connecting places that traditional tech cannot – and connectivity is critical to our country’s and our world’s future success.” 
How did IT Channel Oxygen compile The Century’s Greatest Vendor Leaders? See here
View entire top 30 here
Who’s next in the countdown? See following page…
