As with actually using an "open-door policy", that's probably a good way to wind up fired.

Yep. It needs to be used intelligently. That's generally how good employees add value.

That was my first thought as well - how does the spiritus movens behind both Tesla and SpaceX have the bandwidth to pull off that level of (micro)management?

Passing the Buck for Musk seems to ask people also to include in the buck a (potential) solution for the (potential) problem.

He doesn't, plain and simple. So either it is propaganda or dilution or hybris. Probably a combination of all three.

People say he doesn't over and over - but he beats expectations over and over. Hmm.

Once working on an important project (and the work went round the clock), Sergei Korolev ordered people to literally wake him up at night if some serious questions or problems surfaced up. His team took that literally, and Korolev was woken up a few times at night. Later he said "you seem to conspired to not let me get some sleep", but nobody was fired[1], and the team still adjusted to a balance between importance of problem visibility and importance of getting rest.

Sorry for no references, writing from memory :) .

[1] Firing in Korolev's team was a whole 'nother story entirely. For example, Korolev used to fire people in the morning only to require them to work extra hard in the same afternoon. The team got used to this feature. In reality, nobody wanted to be fired - people saw the importance of their work.

Two things. Yes he does, but despite his management style, not because of it. And no, he doesn't have the bandwidth people think he has. That is part of his narrative, and that narrative, more than anything else, keeps his companies afloat.

Not to forget that he misses a ton of deadlines and constantly moves the goal posts. Helps in beating expectations.