The bashing wasn't quite pointless. Musk is an example of the exact management style that is the opposite of what is being advocated for in the article. Musk is notorious for being an asshole to his employees.
That you got so distracted by the bashing that you lost sight of the whole point of what you are reading, speaks a bit I think to a defensive reaction and bias on your part. Objectively, people can think of Musk as an asshole, he does have a reputation for a certain management style, and this article is about how that management style is on the wrong side of the fence compared to what they are advocating. The article starts off with a big description of a dysfunctional organization, a variety of CEOs/CTOs run organizations that are hallmarks of that type of dysfuntion - Musk is a very prominent example of that (love him or hate him). Some people rave about the idea of working for Steve Jobs; these are exceptions - survivorship bias. The point of the article is that it is survivor bias, that typically you get dysfunctional organizations instead. So, don't try to emulate these notable and notorious exceptions - it usually doesn't work out well.
That you got so distracted by the bashing that you lost sight of the whole point of what you are reading, speaks a bit I think to a defensive reaction and bias on your part. Objectively, people can think of Musk as an asshole, he does have a reputation for a certain management style, and this article is about how that management style is on the wrong side of the fence compared to what they are advocating. The article starts off with a big description of a dysfunctional organization, a variety of CEOs/CTOs run organizations that are hallmarks of that type of dysfuntion - Musk is a very prominent example of that (love him or hate him). Some people rave about the idea of working for Steve Jobs; these are exceptions - survivorship bias. The point of the article is that it is survivor bias, that typically you get dysfunctional organizations instead. So, don't try to emulate these notable and notorious exceptions - it usually doesn't work out well.