Leadership: "The worst thing from the perspective of an overly clever guy like Elon Musk is dying."

Philosopher Manuel Scheidegger questions leadership, AI hopes, and the cult of failure. He illuminates how fears like dying shape visionaries like Elon Musk and why stupidity is often underestimated. A relevant discourse for leaders and management students.

Leadership: "From the perspective of a super-smart guy like Elon Musk, the worst thing is dying"

Berlin, September 20, 2026 – Philosopher Manuel Scheidegger is questioning common assumptions about leadership and human intelligence. In a current discourse that also addresses hopes for Artificial Intelligence and the cult of failure in the startup scene, Scheidegger argues that stupidity is an underestimated force. He highlights how death – and the pursuit of overcoming it through progress and technology – shapes the actions of leaders like Elon Musk. This perspective offers a critical reflection on the motivations behind technological progress and the role of humans in a world increasingly influenced by algorithms.

Scheidegger focuses on human finitude and the associated fear as primary drivers for the pursuit of unlimited growth and technological dominance. His thesis that failure is often misunderstood or even romanticized contradicts the common narrative that glorifies setbacks as learning opportunities without sufficiently examining their actual, often painful consequences and the associated wrong turns. Particularly in management education, where agility and resilience are increasingly taught, a nuanced engagement with failure and its philosophical implications is relevant. The excessive fixation on purely rational action and data-based decisions, as often propagated in business contexts, potentially ignores crucial human factors that are indispensable for sustainable success and ethical leadership.

A look at the omnipresent discussion about Artificial Intelligence shows how deeply the hope for technological solutions is anchored – even to the point of overcoming human limitations. Scheidegger warns against a naive overestimation of AI if it is viewed as a universal problem solver without critical reflection on human motivations and weaknesses. For aspiring leaders in MBA programs, this means thinking beyond pure efficiency and innovation strategies. The ability to critically analyze hype cycles and the ethical evaluation of new technologies is becoming a core competence. Furthermore, the philosopher suggests the concept of "opinion fasting," a practice that could help leaders detach themselves from the constant flood of information and the pressure to have a supposedly "correct" opinion, creating space for original thinking and genuine self-reflection.

A critical cult of failure

Particularly for MBA students and future top managers confronted with complex challenges in global markets, Scheidegger's ideas are highly relevant. They call for questioning one's own motivations and those of the organization not only economically, but also philosophically. The role of stupidity, in the sense of a "not-having-to-know" or a conscious departure from total rationalization, could open new paths for creative problem-solving and more human leadership styles. It is not about promoting stupidity, but about recognizing and understanding its existence and its impact on decision-making processes instead of viewing it exclusively as a deficit. A leader who is aware of their own limits and the limits of purely rational thinking can develop more authentic and resilient strategies.