This is a totally fair point. The incongruity arises for me in that if I said in a job interview process that I'd be continuing to hold another position while adding this one, I'd get laughed out of the room. If it's critical that rank and file guys don't have divided time or loyalties, why is the standard different for the single person most responsible for success or failure of the company?
The last three jobs I've held, I've had to state up front in writing that I will continue to act as the paid IT support for my spouse's one-person consulting firm. Hasn't been an issue yet.
Three jobs ago I also had a very small side consulting gig that came along after I'd been hired, so I had to get it cleared. It was at the behest of one of their board members though, so it really wasn't a hassle...
Aquila Family Ventures is basically a family office that the CEO likely just oversees but doesn't run day-to-day. It's a different thing than having multiple full-time jobs like Musk.
It's a shell company used to dodge taxes, presumably? Or something similarly nefarious; avoiding liabilities or whatever. Not really a company but a legal instrument.
It's hasn't been a conspiracy theory since the Panama papers came out. Everyone is now aware of the extent rich people go to use tax havens and are rightfully upset. They make record profits, encourage irresponsible consumerism, and don't even pay their fair share for the damage they inflict upon the world.
Furthermore there's a reason rich people flock to places like Delaware, Washington, or California. Those states all have tax schemes that allow the wealthy to pay the least amount of taxes.
Hell us rubes even suffer through coach so that the ultra wealthy's luxury jets are subsidized.
People flock to Delaware because it's the most corporate-friendly state, especially regarding regulations and court cases.
Washington and California are two massive economies, so it's no surprise that rich people flock there.
If this CEO wanted to register a shell company to dodge taxes, he would have done it in better places than Southlake, Texas [1]. Anyone can register an LLC as long as they have valid identification and pay the $300 Texas filing fee...nothing nefarious.
Talking about the Panama Papers will be a long story, but notice how relatively few Americans are on that list. It was mostly people from developing countries with weak rule of law and high levels of corruption...the type where rich folks hide assets to avoid the government or rival business goons coming for it, and it's much easier to cheat taxes in those countries because of weak law enforcement.
There are plenty of consulting/writing/etc. jobs that are explicitly fractional or part-time where someone may have multiple clients. And this is even the case with fractional CFO positions and the like.
