Yep. You can't tell me you don't know a manager who would completely unintentionally do just as shit of a job as Musk.

Well, Musk is that manager when he's unrestrained. The way he was publicly arguing with software engineers who built the software while himself being clueless, should have been the last confirmation anyone ever needed.

Musk is perpetually sitting at the peak of Mount Stupid of the Dunning Kruger scale.

¿Por qué no los dos, mi hermano (o hermana)?

I think it's what you say but since he took over the "he is doing it on purpose" theory has been grown and been repeated so much that he's gotta be aware of it (especially with how too online he seems to be) and will probably endorse it in the future to shield himself behind it.

These are both compelling arguments and it is difficult to know which side has the edge. What are the arguments both for and against deliberate destruction vs incompetence?

Hanlon’s razor.

I see that rule posted a lot, but imo it doesn't really apply to people in power. Infact, trying to apply it to that context is actually dangerous... take Trump as a case study: he's done immeasurable damage to the US and consistently skirts any kind of real consequence because we just keep giving him the village-idiot pass.

Better to assume every action and outcome are calculated and intentional when we're talking shit like oligarchs or politicians. Even if they sincerely are just a dumbass, hold them to that same standard, as we really ought to disincentivize dumbasses from running corporations/countries/etc anyway.

I always say that about conspiracy versus ineptitude.

Never attribute to stupidity that which is adequately explained by capitalism.

Sure... If you believe what's best for it is a slow, miserable, yet hilarious death.