Elon Musk - Walter Isaacson

Elon Musk

By Walter Isaacson

  • Release Date: 2023-09-12
  • Genre: Biographies & Memoirs
Score: 4.5
4.5
From 1,785 Ratings

Description

The #1 New York Times and global bestseller from Walter Isaacson—the acclaimed author of Steve Jobs, Einstein: His Life and World, Benjamin Franklin, and Leonardo da Vinci—is the astonishingly intimate story of the most fascinating, controversial innovator of modern times. For two years, Isaacson shadowed Elon Musk as he executed his vision for electric vehicles at Tesla, space exploration with SpaceX, the AI revolution, and the takeover of Twitter and its conversion to X. The result is the definitive portrait of the mercurial pioneer that offers clues to his political instincts, future ambitions, and overall worldview.

When Elon Musk was a kid in South Africa, he was regularly beaten by bullies. One day a group pushed him down some concrete steps and kicked him until his face was a swollen ball of flesh. He was in the hospital for a week. But the physical scars were minor compared to the emotional ones inflicted by his father, an engineer, rogue, and charismatic fantasist.

His father’s impact on his psyche would linger. He developed into a tough yet vulnerable man-child, prone to abrupt Jekyll-and-Hyde mood swings, with an exceedingly high tolerance for risk, a craving for drama, an epic sense of mission, and a maniacal intensity that was callous and at times destructive.

At the beginning of 2022—after a year marked by SpaceX launching thirty-one rockets into orbit, Tesla selling a million cars, and him becoming the richest man on earth—Musk spoke ruefully about his compulsion to stir up dramas. “I need to shift my mindset away from being in crisis mode, which it has been for about fourteen years now, or arguably most of my life,” he said.

It was a wistful comment, not a New Year’s resolution. Even as he said it, he was secretly buying up shares of Twitter, the world’s ultimate playground. Over the years, whenever he was in a dark place, his mind went back to being bullied on the playground. Now he had the chance to own the playground.

For two years, Isaacson shadowed Musk, attended his meetings, walked his factories with him, and spent hours interviewing him, his family, friends, coworkers, and adversaries. The result is the revealing inside story, filled with amazing tales of triumphs and turmoil, that addresses the question: are the demons that drive Musk also what it takes to drive innovation and progress?

Reviews

  • Lazy, cliche-filled, bland

    2
    By Бобчинский
    Lazy, cliche-filled, poor attempt to understand the man’s twisted psyche. Isaacson is bizarrely credulous and a poor writer to boot.
  • Stick to the story

    4
    By Chad R Morrison
    I enjoyed learning more about Elon but I really didn’t care to learn about the political ideals of the author. Those were infused throughout the book and made obvious in his comments.
  • Masters

    2
    By Reading gmom
    Too much jumping around.
  • So much I did not know…

    5
    By Ptvogelzang
    Elon is an amazing person: strong, brutal, but necessary. Great book and research Walter Isaacson! Loved every word!
  • Great book

    5
    By Сергей Белов 33213
    Pretty good summary of how Elon’s life has unfolded and his thinking process behind building companies.
  • Solid book

    5
    By A to A 2 A
    Very good book. I would say the first 80% of the book was extremely interesting to see the rise of Elon Musk and what type of person he is. The last 20% was too heavy on personal drama and I felt like I was reading a soap opera. However, the diligence and the patience of the author and all those that played a part in creating such a great book is remarkable.
  • Amazing!

    5
    By classypotatohead
    This book will help you understand Musk at a deep level and will help you visualize where the world is heading in the next 10-15 years.
  • Fantastic

    5
    By momeymike760
    One of the best book I have ever ridden
  • Do not like the free sample…

    1
    By BobzReviews
    …so not spending $s on the book. Elon Musk is brilliant, but not Steve Jobs, as the cover photo attempts to imply. Do not like the writing. Maybe Isaacson shares his own opinion too much. Just tell the story.
  • Excellent book

    4
    By Hurricane Keith
    I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It certainly gave insight to who Elon Musk is, and how it has made him today. It shows certainly the good things that he has done, and also shows the bad. He certainly is an innovator and has his faults. I enjoyed this book and certainly suggest it to anyone who is interested.