Think Your Boss Is Scary? Read These Brutal Emails From Top Tech CEOs

Every employee has a different idea of what a scary boss is. It might be someone who doesn’t respect boundaries, calls while on vacation, doesn’t take responsibility for the mistakes made, or—the worst of all—a “We need to talk” boss. Whether your boss is a micromanager or an outright workplace bully, you anyway make the most of the moment and do your tasks. But have you ever considered what it might be like to be working for the most influential CEOs in the IT sector? Let’s explore their emails, which may surprise you for their raw honesty and high expectations.

An X user has shared a thread of emails that IT bosses have sent out over the years. The caption read, “Do you think your boss is scary? Look at the brutal emails from the CEOs of Apple, Microsoft, Tesla and Facebook.”

Starting with Tesla and SpaceX CEO, Elon Musk, the email dates back to December 2022. After the COVID-19 outbreak, many executives attempted to get their staff back to work; however, Musk offered his Tesla employees more straightforward instructions.

“Everyone at Tesla is required to spend a minimum of forty hours in the office per week. Moreover, the office must be where your actual colleagues are located, not some remote pseudo-office,” Musk wrote in an email to employees.

“If you don’t show up, we will assume you have resigned,” he stated.

Next is Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s 2010 email. The email was sent in response to leaking confidential information. A part of the email read, “So I’m asking whoever leaked this to resign immediately.”

“If you don’t resign, we will almost certainly find out who you are anyway.”

Third is Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella. Nadella announced a mass layoff via email, stating that by the end of FY23 Q3, adjustments are being made that would result in a 10,000 reduction in the company’s entire employment.

Fourth is the CEO of Apple, Tim Cook. His email appears to be a response to the details of corporate meetings that had leaked to the press. “We also know people who leak confidential information do not belong here.”

Next is former Apple CEO Steve Jobs’ unexpected move. Jobs personally replied to a user’s query when iPhone 4 was launched. The user reportedly asked, “When I put my hand on the steel bands, I lose all reception.” The user had asked a way to fix the issue. To which Jobs simply replied stating, “Just avoid holding it that way.”

Apparently, Disney CEO Bob Iger once told his employees that he has made the decision to let go 7,000 of the workforce. He called it a part of the “strategic realignment of the company.”

On number 7 is Andy Jassy, CEO of Amazon. He, as per the shared post, issued stricter regulations to the employees stating, “It’s past the time to disagree and commit.”

The founder of Amazon, Jeff Bezos, once sent his staff an email criticising their use of shorthand. It seems that Bezos sees the majority of his employees’ abbreviated emails pertaining to customers. In an email, he stated that in order to understand it, he must pass the email to the executives in charge. “Why is this happening”, Bezos asked in an email.

In 2005, Jobs emailed the then CEO of Adobe Bruce Chizen. The email read, “Adobe is recruiting from Apple. They have hired one person already and are calling lots more. I have a standing policy with our recruiters that we don’t recruit from Adobe. It seems you have a different policy. One of us must change our policy. Please let me know who.”

Number 10 is the conversation between the then-CEO of Twitter (now X), Parag Agrawal, and Musk. Agrawal’s text to Musk reads that Musk is “free to tweet “is Twitter dying?” or anything else about Twitter – but it’s my responsibility to tell you that it’s not helping me make Twitter better in the current context.”

Replying, Musk stated, “What did you get done this week? I’m not joining the board. This is a waste of time. Will make an offer to take Twitter private.”

And the rest is history.

The X post has over 16 million views on the social media platform.