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Algorithmic Charisma Under Strain: Elon Musk and the Dynamics of Founder Myths in the Platform Era

Author

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  • Dag Øivind Madsen

    (Department of Business, Marketing and Law, University of South-Eastern Norway, Bredalsveien 14, 3511 Hønefoss, Norway)

Abstract

This paper introduces the concept of algorithmic charisma to explain how leadership authority is sustained through visibility, virality, and platform amplification. Using Elon Musk as an illustrative case, it examines “Muskism”—the evolving set of myths, narratives, and symbolic performances that surround Musk and his ventures. Based on publicly available material from 2008 to 2025, the study applies four complementary lenses: charismatic authority, media mythmaking and ritual, organizational cult dynamics, and scapegoating/sacrificial mechanisms. The analysis traces Muskism’s trajectory across four phases—myth construction, polarization and institutionalization, charismatic decay, and symbolic reconfiguration—showing how founder myths are built, contested, and adapted in the platform era. The central contribution is the articulation of algorithmic charisma as a distinct form of founder authority, sustained less by stable belief than by recursive cycles of digital visibility. In doing so, the essay advances understanding of founder-led leadership cultures, highlighting the durability of early mythic framing, the role of audience segmentation in sustaining charisma, and the value of integrating multiple theoretical perspectives in interpretive organizational research.

Suggested Citation

  • Dag Øivind Madsen, 2025. "Algorithmic Charisma Under Strain: Elon Musk and the Dynamics of Founder Myths in the Platform Era," Administrative Sciences, MDPI, vol. 15(10), pages 1-17, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jadmsc:v:15:y:2025:i:10:p:394-:d:1772348
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Dag Øivind Madsen & Kåre Slåtten, 2025. "Viral Leadership: Algorithmic Amplification and the Rise of Leadership Fashions," Administrative Sciences, MDPI, vol. 15(6), pages 1-26, May.
    2. Yurong Chen & Yannick Perez, 2015. "Business Model Design: Lessons Learned from Tesla Motors," Post-Print hal-01424723, HAL.
    3. Mats Alvesson & Hugh Willmott, 2002. "Identity Regulation as Organizational Control: Producing the Appropriate Individual," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 39(5), pages 619-644, July.
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