Trump and Musk share the founder’s mindset
Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Donald Trump and Elon Musk speak to the press as they sit in a Tesla at the White House in Washington, March 11. For the past two months, Americans have watched as two extraordinary and polarizing figures—Donald Trump and Elon Musk—have worked as a team to reduce the size and reach of the federal bureaucracy.
Behind all the criticism, praise and blame heaped on the Department of Government Efficiency, a question lurks: How is it possible that these two men, who barely knew each other before the presidential campaign and who are separated by a quarter-century in age, are able to get along and agree on what to do and how to do it? The answer is that both men are business founders, with a founder’s mindset and style. This sets them apart from their political counterparts, including many past Republican presidents. It also makes it easier for them to work with other founders, from Silicon Valley tech leaders to cryptocurrency entrepreneurs to venture capitalists.
A founder’s approach to business sharply contrasts with the manager mentality that often overtakes companies as they grow in size and complexity. In their book “The Founder’s Mentality," Chris Zook and James Allen describe founders as driven by “bold mission," “bias for action," “aversion to bureaucracy" and “relentless experimentation." A founder is famously, even notoriously, hands-on. He wants to know everything about his corporation from top to bottom.
He insists that every aspect of the business reflect his original big vision—one of “limitless horizons," according to Messrs. Zook and Allen—and is impatient with anyone or anything that stands in the way of that vision. Founders are biased toward decisive, even disruptive,
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