Have you ever been asked to do something at work and immediately thought, "Why on earth do we need this?" which got me thinking about Elon Musk's controversial approach to managing tasks. Musk famously emphasizes the importance of challenging every requirement—even, or especially, those that come from senior leadership. Musk explicitly says, "Requirements from smart people are the most dangerous because no one dares to challenge them." His five-step working principles illustrate this clearly: 1. Challenge every requirement.Delete any unnecessary steps. Simplify and optimize tasks. Accelerate the process. Automate where possible. He argues that most requirements, particularly from influential or intelligent people, often go unchallenged. As a result, potentially harmful or misguided tasks get executed simply because nobody dares question them. Initially, I was inclined toward Elon's approach. After all, challenging every requirement seems logical—it's a safeguard against wasting precious resources on unnecessary or inefficient tasks. Yet, this raises a practical concern: does continuously questioning requests actually benefit an organization, or does it create friction, slow down execution, and generate unnecessary bureaucracy? On deeper reflection, I realized the answer isn't straightforward (after being accused for “hard to work with” or “I have to make a big deal to collaborate with you”) ; it depends heavily on the type of organization you're part of. In highly mission-driven organizations with strong alignment, such as Tesla or SpaceX, the constant questioning of requirements doesn't slow things down. Rather, it speeds them up as it protects focus. This happens because the organization already operates under extreme clarity and focus. Every task has clear strategic alignment, and every team member deeply understands the overarching goal. In such an environment, questioning requirements serves as a protective mechanism—it prevents valuable resources from being diverted to less meaningful tasks. It preserves efficiency rather than diminishing it. However, in an organization where alignment, focus, and clarity aren't well-established, the same behavior can backfire significantly. Constant questioning becomes counterproductive, increasing friction rather than focus. People start to see each inquiry as resistance rather than clarification, causing simple tasks to escalate into complicated debates. This inevitably leads to frustration, wasted time, and decreased productivity. The key realization is that Elon Musk’s principle of challenging everything only works under a specific precondition: the organization must already possess clear alignment, strong execution speed, and a deeply ingrained mission. Without these foundational elements, skepticism isn't constructive—it's destructive.