How to understand Elon Musk's first principles?

@elonmusk believes his way of thinking aligns with the first principles of physics, which is to clarify the fundamental principles of a matter first, then organize the subsequent knowledge structure. My question is: why does doing this improve efficiency? Isn't this approach likely to consume more time and effort? Especially since conclusions drawn from statistics are probably hard to trace back to their underlying principles. How should we view this first principles approach?
First, re-examine all empirical formulas;
Hesitate not to discard outdated empirical knowledge. The most impressive example to me was when he, after self-learning and gaining a basic understanding of rocket technology, thought that NASA's cost to launch a rocket was simply too high. If he summed up all the necessary materials and personnel costs he could think of, it was only a fraction of NASA's expenses.
So he started checking prices from each material and component supplier, asking why they were so expensive, whether cheaper options would work. The result was that many technologies were invented decades ago during intense space competition with the Soviet Union and hadn't been significantly updated since. After this investigation, he found that many materials could now be replaced with cheaper alternatives, and even the thrusters could be recovered. As a result, the costs dropped to only three percent of NASA's (about $63 million vs. $2 billion).
Second, avoid any clever analogies and comparisons.
A is A, B is B. If you want to talk about A, thoroughly understand A, from start to finish, clarifying the most basic physics and chemistry knowledge related to A. Don't arrogantly bring over your knowledge of B, C, D, etc., and make clever comparisons, then assume they can serve as facts about A.
In his autobiography (the one by Isaacson), Musk repeatedly mentions his strong disdain for such clever comparisons, calling them disaster-prone. Several times during Musk's project meetings, he asks questions based on first principles, logic, model simulation, experimental results, and known mathematical and physical knowledge. He carefully unravels the issues step by step. Often, the presenter gets stuck somewhere because they made a clever analogy or transfer, exposing a flaw in scientific proof.
In my view, Musk's first principles approach is strongly inclined toward a thorough understanding of the research object and unwavering commitment to factual truthfulness.
Simplifying a complex problem is the mark of a master; complicating a simple problem is the sign of an incompetent.