Elon's 11 No BS Company Rules
This Instagram carousel distills 11 of Elon’s hardest‑won company rules onto a clean, book‑cover style layout. It reads like a battlefield checklist, not a feel‑good poster: lots of bold headers, short lines, and zero fluff. Let’s rip through the list and pull out the stuff you can actually steal for your own business today.
The psychology behind this layout
The second image is just text, but it feels urgent because each rule is numbered, bolded, and written in plain English. Sub‑bullets are short and tactical, so your brain files them as “instructions,” not theory. This is why it works as content: you can screenshot it, print it, or steal a single line as a management rule for your own team.
How to use Elon's 11 rules in your own company
- Turn Rule #1 into a weekly ritual: pick one process and run it through the Algorithm (question, delete, simplify, accelerate, automate).
- Treat Rule #2 like a filter: if it’s not constrained by physics or math, it’s negotiable.
- Use Rule #3’s “Idiot Index” before launching anything: compare finished price to raw inputs and hunt for avoidable waste.
- Make Rule #4 your scheduling test: long timelines usually mean fuzzy thinking or cowardly decisions.
- Apply Rules #5–7 to culture: hire for attitude, lead from the front, and avoid fake harmony that kills honest criticism.
- Hard‑wire Rules #8–11 into planning: normalize losing early, sit design next to production, protect deep focus, and nail one mission everyone can recite.
Brands turning principles into swipeable playbooks
a16z turns dense founder interviews into a crisp 11‑rule visual checklist that’s perfect for screenshotting and sharing.
Colossus repackages long‑form conversations into tight, highly designed carousels that highlight the most actionable ideas.