Mr. Musk is fundamentally a creature of Silicon Valley, a scene that initiated an entire revolution in power dressing. The young masters of that universe dressed down to show that they were members of a new elite — one that refused to dress like the grown-ups they were about to topple. It was the defeat of the suit by the T-shirt.

Elon Musk's recent after-hours all-hands at Tesla shows he can often ask more of workers than other CEOs. Yet there might also be limits.