--- title: "Elon Musk Voted “Most Overrated CEO” by His Colleagues" description: "SpaceX and Tesla CEO Elon Musk has topped Fortune's list of \"most overrated CEOs\" for the second year running." date: "2024-02-01" modified: "2024-02-01" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/elon-musk-overrated-ceo" categories: - "Elon Musk" - "Future Society" - "The Industrialists" tags: - "elon musk" - "SpaceX" - "tesla" - "the digest" - "twitter" --- # Elon Musk Voted “Most Overrated CEO” by His Colleagues ![SpaceX and Tesla CEO Elon Musk has topped Fortune's list of "most overrated CEOs" for the second year running.]() *\Image: Grzegorz Wajda/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)\* ## Burn Rate SpaceX and Tesla CEO Elon Musk has topped *Fortune*'s list of "most overrated CEOs" — for the second year running. The publication's survey [is sent out]() to almost 400 "executives, businesses, directors and industry analysts to measure big businesses’ reputations, as told by their rivals and friends." In an additional ranking, Musk took the crown for being the most overrated executive in 2023, yet another sign that the mercurial CEO's [reputation has]() [tanked](), especially following his disastrous acquisition of X-formerly-Twitter. ## Track Record Musk has a long and extremely well-documented track record of overpromising and underdelivering. For instance, Tesla cars still can't drive themselves, despite him promising verbatim that such a thing will be possible "next year" for [ten years now](). Tesla has also [tanked]() under his leadership in 2023, with stocks [plunging 25 percent]() so far this year, wiping out $80 billion in market value. The company [disappointed investors]() during a recent earnings call, warning of slowing growth in sales and fierce competition, especially in China. Despite some considerable headway with SpaceX, Musk's plans for a city on Mars to [make humanity interplanetary]() have also [steadily receded](). Then there's Musk's recent obsession with [far-right conspiracy theories]() and [deeply racist beliefs](), turning his recently acquired social media platform into a [hate-fueled]() [echo chamber](). That kind of rhetoric has sent advertisers running for the hills, leaving the company in [financial shambles](). In short, it's not surprising to see Musk top the list of most overrated CEOs. And even Musk himself tends to agree. After an X user [asked]() Musk's AI company's "Grok" chatbot to "roast Elon Musk with one word," the bot replied with "overrated." "Accurate," Musk [replied]() at the time. **More on Musk:** *[Wife Sues SpaceX After Rocket Test Leaves Husband in Coma]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()