Each of those companies probably has an actual CEO that goes by "VP of operations" or some similar title. And Musk mostly approves some of their decisions and gives his take.
See also smaller-time founder-CEO sorts with multiple businesses going at once, a couple board seats, another on a nonprofit, an advisory role at yet another company, and periodic self-congratulatory Linkin posts about how despite being so busy and successful they manage to find time for family.
Well wouldn't you know, one of the employees at one of their 25-person companies is an executive assistant! Guess which one actually shows up more than 15 hours a week, the CEO or the "assistant"? Repeat for all other roles they "perform" that aren't expected to be very, very part-time anyway. Or if they do show up something resembling full-time they're on the phone most of the day sorting out personal stuff or dealing with their other ventures.
The answer in ~all cases like this is they don't do half as much (at any given job) as people used to working 40 hours for a living might expect them to.
That would be my guess as well. If they were micromanaged with some ticketing system like their employees, a typical roadmap would be something like fly 1st class -> eat ice cream -> have sex with your 4th girlfriend -> swim -> eat ice cream. No blockers!
I reckon it's something like the end state of that thing where the better paid you are the better treated you are and, not infrequently, the easier the work is.
Well wouldn't you know, one of the employees at one of their 25-person companies is an executive assistant! Guess which one actually shows up more than 15 hours a week, the CEO or the "assistant"? Repeat for all other roles they "perform" that aren't expected to be very, very part-time anyway. Or if they do show up something resembling full-time they're on the phone most of the day sorting out personal stuff or dealing with their other ventures.
The answer in ~all cases like this is they don't do half as much (at any given job) as people used to working 40 hours for a living might expect them to.