795. What Elon Musk Looks for in People (That Most Leaders Miss)

No Days Off with Brian Gubernick · Apr 16, 2026 · 10m

In this episode, Brian breaks down Elon Musk's approach to hiring and building teams, focusing on how he identifies real talent and sets a high standard for performance.

Rather than relying on resumes or surface-level answers, Musk looks for people who have actually solved difficult problems and can clearly explain how they did it. He also emphasizes building small, highly capable teams and giving direct, useful feedback that improves the work.

The takeaway is simple: hiring gets better when you go deeper, ask better questions, and become more intentional about who you bring into your…