“Yup, he’s a great leader! He motivates us to do great work.”
Dear Leader
If you take a ride on Loop, Elon Musk’s underground tunnel transportation system in Las Vegas, you might get a bizarrely rosy portrait of the enigmatic megabillionaire during your journey.
That’s because The Boring Company provides drivers — yes, the high-tech underground transportation of the future is no different than driving through a tunnel — with a specific script to help them field any passenger questions, according to documents obtained by TechCrunch. Most of the time, the prepared answers are designed to shut down conversation as quickly as possible — but not before peppering founder Elon Musk with compliments about how awesome, inspiring, and motivating he is.
All in all, it’s just another example of what would be a baffling move by any other company, but kinda business-as-usual in the zany world of Musk.
My Hero
Most of the scripted responses are designed to reassure passengers and downplay crashes. For example, if someone asks a driver how long they’ve been working for The Boring Company, they’re supposed to say “Long enough to know these tunnels pretty well!”
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But the language gets pretty specific — and forcibly enthusiastic — when passengers bring up Elon Musk, his management style, or his endless antics. Any general questions about Musk are supposed to be met with a “He’s awesome!” or “inspiring” or “motivating,” according to TechCrunch. And then follow-up questions will get one of several carefully crafted replies designed to avoid any criticism.
“This category of questions is extremely common and extremely sensitive,” the document reads, according to TechCrunch. “Public fascination with our founder is inevitable and may dominate the conversation. Be as brief as possible, and do your best to shut down such conversation. If passengers continue to force the topic, politely say, ‘I’m sorry, but I really can’t comment’ and change the subject.”
If a passenger asks what it’s like to work for Musk, drivers are instructed to reply “Yup, he’s a great leader! He motivates us to do great work.”
Ask about Musk’s bizarre tweets, and the drivers are supposed to say “Elon is a public figure. We’re just here to provide an awesome transportation experience!”
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Any other mention of Musk’s many controversies or pointed questions about him being difficult to work is supposed to be met with “I haven’t seen that article, but that hasn’t been my experience.”
All things considered, it’s a bizarre push to protect the image of a man who doesn’t seem particularly interested in avoiding controversy and scandal on his own.
READ MORE: Drivers for Elon Musk’s Loop get a script about their ‘great leader’ [TechCrunch]
More on Elon Musk’s ego: Tesla Is Reportedly Trying To Make People Delete Mean Posts About Elon Musk