Ayn Rand and leadership in the tech industry: the Twitter takeover and the disdain for communication and stakeholder principles

Purpose Following his acquisition of Twitter, Elon Musk’s conduct towards journalists, employees and other stakeholders has been widely characterised as openly contemptuous. From the perspective of stakeholder and communication management theories, such leadership is problematic both normatively and in terms of organisational performance. However, Musk’s conduct is not simply a case of managerial failure but reflects a distinct managerial and normative orientation grounded in Ayn Rand’s Objectivism. Design/methodology/approach Using an interpretive approach, the article analyses Ayn Rand’s Objectivism as a management fashion, a political ideology and a value system embedded in platform governance and infrastructure. This lens illuminates how Objectivist principles align with Musk’s leadership of X (formerly Twitter) and, more broadly, with patterns of Silicon Valley platform governance – specifically through an emphasis on self-interest, resistance to regulation, rejection of altruism and an absolutist conception of free speech. Findings The analysis indicates that Musk’s actions align closely with Randian ideals. He can further be interpreted as an embodiment of Randian archetypes such as Howard Roark and John Galt – figures characterised by the rejection of obligations towards others and resistance to external interference. Rand’s influence thus emerges as a largely implicit but structurally significant force shaping leadership communication and governance norms in the tech industry. Originality/value The article advances an original interpretation of communication and management practices in the tech industry as a coherent normative alternative to prevailing communication and stakeholder ethics, grounded in key principles of Ayn Rand’s Objectivism – a philosophical strand largely overlooked in communication and stakeholder research, particularly in European scholarship.