Regarding thin-skinned executives, employees are better off acting as cheerleaders. This is a lesson that employees in Indian companies have long known.

If you live in a kingdom where the emperor is naked, it's best to keep your observations to yourself. But, unfortunately, this old fable applies equally to modern companies, despite their claim to equality in the workplace.

This is a clear message from recent events at SpaceX, where a group of employees was shown to the door after daring to protest the betrayal of their independent boss Elon Musk. According to Bloomberg, officials in an open letter called Musk's behavior and tweets a "frequent source of annoyance and embarrassment" and urged SpaceX management to condemn and distance themselves from "Musk's brand." Management response is predictable; company president Gwyn Shotwell denies the allegations, and officials say: "We have too much important work to do, and there is no need for this kind of excessive activism.

For all his undeniable qualities as a creator and innovator, Musk's public statements, mainly on Twitter, reek of heightened feelings about his role in the world and a desperate attempt to pet his massive ego. From sexual innuendo to rudeness, Musk uses Twitter, a company he currently buys/doesn't believe, to swear and harass other public figures. With each subsequent tweet, he dives into new depths. Perhaps the lowest point came in his swap with 80-year-old Bernie Sanders after the veteran US Senator urged the rich to pay their "fair share" in taxes. Musk's response: "I keep forgetting that you're still alive." There are many other options, including downright sexist and misogynistic ones.

This is not without consequences for the companies it manages.