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CEO Elon Musk is making headlines today for Tesla’s new electric “Cybertruck,” which was unveiled at the Tesla Design Center in California.
Cybertruck’s debut was a little rocky. A CNN Business reporter described it as “a large metal trapezoid on wheels, more like an art piece than a truck.” While showing off the truck’s “unbreakable” windows, a metal ball broke them rather easily.
But it wasn’t all bad. A reporter from The Verge went on a test drive and said, “The amount of space inside the Cybertruck felt like a magic trick.” If you’re a fan of roomy metal trapezoids, you’ll have to be patient. The Cybertruck won’t go into production until late 2021.
Working for Elon Musk
Earlier in his career, Musk — current CEO of Tesla and SpaceX — liked to interview the candidates for every position, including janitors. As SpaceX grew, he continued to interview the engineers. And he asked all candidates the same brain teaser.
The goal for a question like this isn’t just to get the right answer, but to demonstrate your problem solving ability.
The answer(s)
Most candidates say the answer is the North Pole. If you start there and go a mile south, then a mile west, then a mile north, you’ll make a triangle — and end up back at the North Pole where you started.
Musk would then ask a follow-up that might rattle candidates who were proud of themselves for getting it right: “where else could it be?”
The second answer is near the South Pole, where the Earth’s circumference is one mile. “You’ll walk one mile south to reach this circle,” explains CNBC, “trace that mile-long circle’s path, and return one mile north to your starting point.”
Again, the important part is not getting the exact answer, but demonstrating your ability to analyze and attack a problem.
You’ll need those skills if you really want to make truck windows less breakable.
