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4.14 AVERAGE
4.14 AVERAGE
informative
reflective
medium-paced
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
A somewhat common critique of the book was that Walter Isaacson seemingly worships innovation and thus, by association, shone a bright, positively biased light on Musk. I disagree vehemently.
I think Isaacson did a marvellous job being unbiased in his judgement. Through his 2 years with Musk, it was evident that he gained Musk’s trust, and was able to peer into the mind of one of the most important of our generation. But Musk isn’t without an abundance of flaws, and the book articulates all of it immensely well.
I used to revere Musk, and then grew to revile him. Now, I am somewhere in the middle—able to separately genuinely admire the work he’s done while still having apprehensions of him as a human—and that’s not dissimilar to this book.
“Sometimes great innovators are risk-seeking man-children who resist potty training. They can be reckless, cringeworthy, sometimes even toxic. They can also be crazy. Crazy enough to think they can change the world.”
I think Isaacson did a marvellous job being unbiased in his judgement. Through his 2 years with Musk, it was evident that he gained Musk’s trust, and was able to peer into the mind of one of the most important of our generation. But Musk isn’t without an abundance of flaws, and the book articulates all of it immensely well.
I used to revere Musk, and then grew to revile him. Now, I am somewhere in the middle—able to separately genuinely admire the work he’s done while still having apprehensions of him as a human—and that’s not dissimilar to this book.
“Sometimes great innovators are risk-seeking man-children who resist potty training. They can be reckless, cringeworthy, sometimes even toxic. They can also be crazy. Crazy enough to think they can change the world.”
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
informative
inspiring
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Entertaining and informative. Time will tell the legacy of this man.
sad
fast-paced
informative
medium-paced
dark
informative
fast-paced
informative
slow-paced
I knew very little about Elon Musk before reading Elon Musk by Walter Isaacson. I knew he had worked with Tesla and took over Twitter, and I can't say I knew much more than that.
He (Musk) developed a siege mentality that included an attraction, sometimes a craving, for storm and drama, both at work and in the romantic relationships he struggled and failed to maintain.
Elon Musk had a horrific childhood. He grew up in South Africa with a father who was emotionally distant, and physically and mentally abusive. His mother didn't go against his father. They eventually divorced but that didn't make anything better. Despite his childhood, he was able to stay close to his siblings, Kimbal and Tosca.
Musk was a brilliant child, but his teachers did not see him that way. He zoned out all the time, but it sounds like he was bored and unchallenged. He has to be smart for all that he has accomplished.
One thing I appreciated in the book was the use of pictures. They are scattered throughout the book, in the appropriate sections. It was interesting to see Musk as a child, at his wedding, and many other pivotal moments in his life.
The more I learned about Musk as I read the book, the more it surprised me that he let Walter Isaacson shadow him for two years to gather the information in this book! Isaacson spoke with different members of Musk's family, his ex-wives, friends, co-workers, and so many others. I was also surprised by how many different things Musk has had his hands in over the years (PayPal, Tesla, Twitter (now X), Space X, The Boring Company, Neuralink, and more). I also found it interesting how fascinated Musk is with X, wanting everything he does to have one in it.
This book is brutally honest. Musk is not portrayed as Mr. Nice Guy, he is shown as mean, egotistical, hard, and driven. He refuses to take no for an answer and rarely apologizes. He is not easy to get along with and even those closest to him don't have a lot of nice things to say.
I would recommend this book to those who are fascinated by Elon Musk and want a detailed account (with pictures) of his life.
Trigger warnings: cursing, mentions of abuse, description of a dog attack
Thank you to Front Gate Media for the opportunity to read this book. I was not required to provide a positive review. All thoughts and opinions are entirely my own.