Elon Musk and the dangerous myth of omnigenius

Doge's disastrous decisions highlight the hazards of the 'halo effect' that has seen other corporate leaders who switch industries struggle.

- Gautam Mukunda

Billionaire Elon Musk's misadventures with the Department of Government Efficiency, or Doge, might be the ultimate example of a powerful flaw in how we think about leaders. That's our tendency to believe skills and accomplishments are portable, that someone who excels in one venue will be just as impressive in others. I call this exceptional—if imaginary—superpower "omnigenius".

In reality, though, success doesn't exist without context. While there's no pleasure in watching Mr. Musk make a mess of the US government, maybe it will help clarify the crucial link between the two.

Mr. Musk and Doge show how a leader can be empowered by the omnigenius fantasy. The Tesla chief executive has surely done remarkable things. For all Tesla's current struggles, it has transformed the automotive sector. And it's almost impossible to overstate SpaceX's revolutionary impact on the space industry.

Once he joined the government, though, the story changed. In just one notable example, Doge fired hundreds of employees at the National Nuclear Security Administration, the agency responsible for the production and security of nuclear weapons and management of nuclear waste sites. But the Trump administration reversed many of the cuts less than 48 hours later, when it became clear what these workers did and how important their roles are.

"The Doge people are coming in with absolutely no knowledge of what these departments are responsible for," said Arms Control Association executive director Daryl Kimball at the time.