Musk, Putin and CEO Telephone Calls

We’ve learned a lot lately about who CEOs like to telephone. We reported a couple of weeks ago that Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella likes to make two calls a day to CEOs of other companies, including startup chiefs, to ensure he stays up to date on the latest developments in tech. And Morgan Stanley’s former CEO and Disney chair-to-be Jim Gorman likes to call newly appointed CEOs across America to offer his “wisdom,” according to The Wall Street Journal.

Then there’s Tesla’s CEO, Elon Musk. He’s cool hanging out with other CEOs: Here’s a photo of him at the U.S. Open with former Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick, IAC chair Barry Diller and Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav. But, according to the Journal, Musk is also in regular contact with Vladimir Putin, discussing “personal topics, business and geopolitical tensions.” Putin once asked Musk for a favor on behalf of China’s president Xi Jinping, the report said.