> Elon may have kept the child around during testy meetings as a subtle prompt for his employees to approach him in a civil manner.
I’ve seen that before, it’s a common tactic. In fact my daughter and her pre-school friends went to more than one board meeting or high stakes luncheon. It was always adorable to watch them play board meeting with the beanie babies on the piano bench at home. Though sometimes they would get a little screechy about who was going to be Chairman...
IIRC one of our friends held a luncheon for Zhu Rongji( then premier of China) with the little girls joining (right out of a half-day of school in their Catholic school uniforms); my friend said he was known for being a little sharp. The first time he sounded a little angry my daughter sharply turned her attention to him and politely and firmly asked him to use his “inside voice” as there were children present; when my friend repeated my daughter’s instruction to him in Mandarin he laughed and complimented my daughter on her sense of propriety, and toned it down.
Sometimes the tactic works. It can also be done with kittens and puppies.
Othertimes, some people may refuse to “play emotional PattyCake” and they will remain unrestrained in their manner.