All 25 tactics
08 Mindset

It's Okay to Be Wrong — Just Not Confidently Wrong

Being wrong is acceptable; being confidently wrong is not.

Being wrong isn't a problem. Being confident while being wrong is a huge problem.

Musk encourages intellectual humility and despises overconfidence without substance. Being wrong is acceptable — being confidently wrong is not.

“I’d rather someone state with uncertainty something that’s right than state with certainty something that’s wrong.”

Tesla. Musk admitted Tesla Autopilot flaws publicly, iterating fast rather than defending imperfect systems. This honesty accelerated development.

Neuralink. The same approach led to Neuralink’s safe trials by encouraging engineers to express concerns without fear.

After PayPal, he admitted the risks of starting rocket and electric car companies but pivoted when needed rather than stubbornly sticking to failing approaches.

Apply it. Foster “red team” debates in meetings where team members are rewarded for finding flaws in proposals.