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4.14 AVERAGE
4.14 AVERAGE
4 stars for the research, writing and commitment of the author.
informative
slow-paced
The end seemed to drag on, but was very informative.
Content Warnings
Minor: Child abuse, Child death, Toxic relationship
Musk is no doubt one of the most controversial and polarizing people in the world today. People have extreme opinions of him, whether it be love or hate. I don’t think this book is going to change anyone’s opinion about Musk. That being said, I think Isaacson did a good job or trying to find a middle ground to present the life of Musk. He is a very complicated individual who struggled with a very difficult childhood and an immensely problematic father. Despite Musk often being an asshole and impossible to work for, the reader can follow his journey in becoming one of the greatest entrepreneurs of the 21st century. I personally really enjoyed the book, but those with extreme hatred or reverence for Musk may come away a little disappointed.
Walter Isaacson, a biographer I greatly admire, has a knack for providing the most comprehensive insights into well-known figures. His latest work on Elon Musk is a testament to this. With unprecedented two-year access to his subject, Isaacson was able to closely follow Musk, conducting interviews with him and those in his circle. This unique access allowed Isaacson to present a detailed and intimate portrait of one of the most innovative minds of our era.
Starting with his childhood in South Africa, we understand his early years, from being bullied by schoolmates to the problematic behavior of his father. These early scars still seem to affect him today, leading him to great success with a reputation for being difficult. From Paypal to Tesla to SpaceX to Twitter, Musk has never backed away from a challenge, and this biography shows the road Musk traveled, inspiring us with his resilience to secure his place in history
As someone in leadership, I look to various people to learn from, even if they seem like someone I have little in common. While Elon Musk is a figure that many have strong opinions about, myself included, you cannot discount his incredible success. His determination and dedication to hitting his goals are unlike anyone I have ever read about. The world cannot be clearly defined, and he challenges those around him to work through any problems they encounter. While I do not agree with all his methods or his personal touch, there were many things I could take from him for my career. Love or hate him, Musk dares to look into the world and the universe and see how risk can lead to great reward.
Starting with his childhood in South Africa, we understand his early years, from being bullied by schoolmates to the problematic behavior of his father. These early scars still seem to affect him today, leading him to great success with a reputation for being difficult. From Paypal to Tesla to SpaceX to Twitter, Musk has never backed away from a challenge, and this biography shows the road Musk traveled, inspiring us with his resilience to secure his place in history
As someone in leadership, I look to various people to learn from, even if they seem like someone I have little in common. While Elon Musk is a figure that many have strong opinions about, myself included, you cannot discount his incredible success. His determination and dedication to hitting his goals are unlike anyone I have ever read about. The world cannot be clearly defined, and he challenges those around him to work through any problems they encounter. While I do not agree with all his methods or his personal touch, there were many things I could take from him for my career. Love or hate him, Musk dares to look into the world and the universe and see how risk can lead to great reward.
Took about 20 hours to read this; I think that’s all the time I want to spend with Elon.
Dopo l'interessante biografia a cura di Ashlee Vance (che perà finiva nel 2017), ecco quella di Isaacson - probabilmente il più rinomato biografo degli ultimi anni. Segue i collaudati binari della biografia di Steve Jobs sempre in equilibrio tra incensare la persona e disegnerarne i lati oscuri. Scritta benissimo, tradotta egregiamente ;rispetto a quella di Vance si dilunga di più sulla sua gioventù e sul suo coinvolgimento di Musk con Paypal. e ovviamente ha tutto quello che ha combinato dal 2027 al 2023: infatti pur essendo uscita a settembre, segue le vicende dell'imprenditore fino a Marzo dello stesso anno.
Fascinating and weirdly motivating as a read, even if the last half was rambling and overly sentimental from Isaacson.
As a biography, Isaacson did a good ish job. There was a lot here that I didn't know about Musk. I wish there had been more critique and interrogation of some of the ideas and situations that came up throughout as it was disappointing that Isaacson brushed over these.
For example, Musk has used IVF a number of times and seems to be interested in sex selection of his kids, which arguably has a number of ethical questions worth raising around the way the wealthy navigate procreation. Not to mention impregnating two women this way in the same timeline without informing them about each other. It's also unclear if Isaacson ever spoke to Musks estranged daughter.
There was also the issue of sexual harrasment on Tesla factory floors, which is an ongoing case, but Isaacson seems to not mention it at all. The situation of the air hostess on his private jet, who was paid off by SpaceX seemed to only be worth a paragraph for Isaacson despite the quite obvious signal of Musk slowly giving in to the corruption of power and trying to see just what exactly he can get away with. His descent into becoming like his father could also have used more unpacking. It was disappointing that theres countless examples of misogyny popping up around Musk, in a variety of ways but Isaacson doesn't seem to spend much time on this and instead repeats himself a lot on the various impressive missions Musk has assigned himself - saving humanity from AI, zero emissions transport, colony on Mars etc.
Funnily enough, the repeated theme of Musk being totally unfocused on people and lacking empathy in his approach to life, work, etc. also seems to be my issue with this book. Isaacson never questions how Musks own lack of empathy might show up in the way his businesses find success. The human cost to how he succeeds will also impact the version of what is successful. How can he ensure AI is ethical when he himself functions with such a void of empathy?
Musk has raised (unsure how much active involvement he has) a child who absolutely despises him. He has boasted about his long hours at work, implying someone else raising his kids. Further indicating how readily he is willing to fail his children, who seem to serve as social capital, rather than beings worthy of the same care he bestows on his ego projects. But he's going to save humanity? Seems unlikely. He hasn't even got his own home in order.
Historically speaking, this type of man is as common as the flu virus in the depths of winter. An unremarkable and readily available curse. The only difference is that Musk has eye watering wealth attached to him.
Musk seems to care about humanity in the abstract but lacks any social or historical insight into how human societies ought to be shaped for the betterment of people. His ego seems to have prevented him from asking why he should be the one shaping this future.
In another way, I was impressed by how Musks' way of operating pulls at the threads of many of the social beliefs we have around work and industry. Twitter can operate with 75% fewer staff, which really does make you wonder how relevant many jobs are and how the 'growth first' approach of various industries may exist in opposition to progress.
I did appreciate how Musk is "not motivated by profit" in the sense that he doesn't necessarily pursue this as an end goal. His ambitions are admirable in many ways. And, I do think it will fundamentally transform the world we live in if he is successful with his endeavours. It's just a shame he's such a prick about the whole thing.
For example, Musk has used IVF a number of times and seems to be interested in sex selection of his kids, which arguably has a number of ethical questions worth raising around the way the wealthy navigate procreation. Not to mention impregnating two women this way in the same timeline without informing them about each other. It's also unclear if Isaacson ever spoke to Musks estranged daughter.
There was also the issue of sexual harrasment on Tesla factory floors, which is an ongoing case, but Isaacson seems to not mention it at all. The situation of the air hostess on his private jet, who was paid off by SpaceX seemed to only be worth a paragraph for Isaacson despite the quite obvious signal of Musk slowly giving in to the corruption of power and trying to see just what exactly he can get away with. His descent into becoming like his father could also have used more unpacking. It was disappointing that theres countless examples of misogyny popping up around Musk, in a variety of ways but Isaacson doesn't seem to spend much time on this and instead repeats himself a lot on the various impressive missions Musk has assigned himself - saving humanity from AI, zero emissions transport, colony on Mars etc.
Funnily enough, the repeated theme of Musk being totally unfocused on people and lacking empathy in his approach to life, work, etc. also seems to be my issue with this book. Isaacson never questions how Musks own lack of empathy might show up in the way his businesses find success. The human cost to how he succeeds will also impact the version of what is successful. How can he ensure AI is ethical when he himself functions with such a void of empathy?
Musk has raised (unsure how much active involvement he has) a child who absolutely despises him. He has boasted about his long hours at work, implying someone else raising his kids. Further indicating how readily he is willing to fail his children, who seem to serve as social capital, rather than beings worthy of the same care he bestows on his ego projects. But he's going to save humanity? Seems unlikely. He hasn't even got his own home in order.
Historically speaking, this type of man is as common as the flu virus in the depths of winter. An unremarkable and readily available curse. The only difference is that Musk has eye watering wealth attached to him.
Musk seems to care about humanity in the abstract but lacks any social or historical insight into how human societies ought to be shaped for the betterment of people. His ego seems to have prevented him from asking why he should be the one shaping this future.
In another way, I was impressed by how Musks' way of operating pulls at the threads of many of the social beliefs we have around work and industry. Twitter can operate with 75% fewer staff, which really does make you wonder how relevant many jobs are and how the 'growth first' approach of various industries may exist in opposition to progress.
I did appreciate how Musk is "not motivated by profit" in the sense that he doesn't necessarily pursue this as an end goal. His ambitions are admirable in many ways. And, I do think it will fundamentally transform the world we live in if he is successful with his endeavours. It's just a shame he's such a prick about the whole thing.
3.5/5
Insightful description of Musk’s life with a particular, sometimes plodding focus on the last few years (such and such person said such and such at some meeting). Not much in the way of analysis though; I wanted Isaacson to press Musk harder on his more glaring inconsistencies. For one: how does someone who, apparently, was driven to create a successful electric car company because of his existential concern about climate change then start endorsing climate denying right-wing politicians like Ron DeSantis? This is the same guy who resigned from the various presidential councils after Trump withdrew from the Paris Accords? Why do we go from real life Tony Stark to alt-right conspiracy theorist? How? I wanted more here.
Zooming in, I also wanted Isaacson to prod more self-reflection out of Musk. E.g., is it worth it to set aside your own life and comfort (he works like a maniac, often sleeping at his factories) in favor of a larger mission? Does he justify treating people like discardable tools because the ends are serving some greater good? We hear some of Isaacson’s suppositions about this but rarely if ever in Musk’s own words.
It was interesting how similar Musk and Jobs are portrayed in the two Isaacson biographies. Both unquestionably innovative and impactful, at the cost of being cruel. Both able to wring every drop of energy from their employees by setting unrealistic expectations, sometimes allowing people to realize greater potential, sometimes leading to mistakes and burn out. Both have a “reality distortion field,” and operate with a “maniacal sense of urgency.”
One difference, though, is that Jobs seemed to want to innovate for art’s sake. To make something beautifully built. Musk on the other hand has more applied, heroic (in his conception) ambitions: eliminate reliance on fossil fuels, make our species interplanetary, cover the earth in internet, etc. He also has this playful irreverence that’s different from Jobs: embracing niche meme culture, taking Tesla private at $420 a share because it’s a funny number, launching his personal vehicle into space on a rocket, etc.
***
Other thoughts:
I didn’t realize how traumatic his childhood was. Difficult family situation, getting beaten by kids at school, seeing street violence in South Africa. I thought he was a rich kid whose dad owned a diamond mine. That is apparently a misconception.
One central Musk conviction is to never have your decisions guided by fear.
Lots of science fiction as a kid but no conservation. The unknown as something to conquer moreso than marvel at. Action-oriented. I can understand why he would have a sort of libertarian foundational philosophy.
Much of his success comes from cost-cutting via simplification. Eliminating any part or rule that might not be critical. Requires his engineers to know the exact person who wrote a design specification so they know if it’s bullshit or not. Abhors taking those specs at face value. One of his maxims is that if you aren’t adding back 10% of the parts at the end of engineering something, you didn’t eliminate enough parts to begin with. Allergic to taking anyone’s word for it. At one point he requests that all his solar panel engineer spend days hammering on the solar roofs to know the difficulties of installation.
“‘There were too many fasteners’ he said. Each had to be nailed down, adding time to the installation process. ‘Half should be deleted,’ he insisted. ‘Instead of two nails for each foot, try it with only one,’ he ordered. ‘If the house has a hurricane the whole neighborhood is fucked up so who cares. One nail is going to be fine.’”
Musk has this philosophy of making parts “idiot proof.” Components that are way more expensive than their raw materials fail the idiot test. I didn’t realize how much of his impact had to do with how cheap he was. And also he’s so in the details. So sensing. Obsessed with manufacturing and production in a way that Jobs wasn’t. Telling people “their resignation will be accepted immediately” if they don’t know the exact components of all the products they’re working on and their cost. Musk somehow memorized all that stuff.
With Spacex he had a lot of success using cheap conventional parts instead of bespoke rocket-specific parts (e.g. commercial ac units rather than $3 million for an aerospace-designed air cooler, or modifying a latch used in bathroom stalls for $30 rather than $1,500 NASA space latches). Aerospace was flabby.
Another reason for his success seems to be getting designers and engineers to work together rather than working separately at two different stages of product creation. Thought it was important for designers to get immediate feedback about design feasibility.
It’s crazy how many different things he was involved in. Not just Tesla and Spacex but PayPal, Starlink, Neuralink, Twitter, OpenAI, Solar City, Boring company. Walking around listening to the audiobook, it was hard not to be looking at something he had a hand in making.
Insightful description of Musk’s life with a particular, sometimes plodding focus on the last few years (such and such person said such and such at some meeting). Not much in the way of analysis though; I wanted Isaacson to press Musk harder on his more glaring inconsistencies. For one: how does someone who, apparently, was driven to create a successful electric car company because of his existential concern about climate change then start endorsing climate denying right-wing politicians like Ron DeSantis? This is the same guy who resigned from the various presidential councils after Trump withdrew from the Paris Accords? Why do we go from real life Tony Stark to alt-right conspiracy theorist? How? I wanted more here.
Zooming in, I also wanted Isaacson to prod more self-reflection out of Musk. E.g., is it worth it to set aside your own life and comfort (he works like a maniac, often sleeping at his factories) in favor of a larger mission? Does he justify treating people like discardable tools because the ends are serving some greater good? We hear some of Isaacson’s suppositions about this but rarely if ever in Musk’s own words.
It was interesting how similar Musk and Jobs are portrayed in the two Isaacson biographies. Both unquestionably innovative and impactful, at the cost of being cruel. Both able to wring every drop of energy from their employees by setting unrealistic expectations, sometimes allowing people to realize greater potential, sometimes leading to mistakes and burn out. Both have a “reality distortion field,” and operate with a “maniacal sense of urgency.”
One difference, though, is that Jobs seemed to want to innovate for art’s sake. To make something beautifully built. Musk on the other hand has more applied, heroic (in his conception) ambitions: eliminate reliance on fossil fuels, make our species interplanetary, cover the earth in internet, etc. He also has this playful irreverence that’s different from Jobs: embracing niche meme culture, taking Tesla private at $420 a share because it’s a funny number, launching his personal vehicle into space on a rocket, etc.
***
Other thoughts:
I didn’t realize how traumatic his childhood was. Difficult family situation, getting beaten by kids at school, seeing street violence in South Africa. I thought he was a rich kid whose dad owned a diamond mine. That is apparently a misconception.
One central Musk conviction is to never have your decisions guided by fear.
Lots of science fiction as a kid but no conservation. The unknown as something to conquer moreso than marvel at. Action-oriented. I can understand why he would have a sort of libertarian foundational philosophy.
Much of his success comes from cost-cutting via simplification. Eliminating any part or rule that might not be critical. Requires his engineers to know the exact person who wrote a design specification so they know if it’s bullshit or not. Abhors taking those specs at face value. One of his maxims is that if you aren’t adding back 10% of the parts at the end of engineering something, you didn’t eliminate enough parts to begin with. Allergic to taking anyone’s word for it. At one point he requests that all his solar panel engineer spend days hammering on the solar roofs to know the difficulties of installation.
“‘There were too many fasteners’ he said. Each had to be nailed down, adding time to the installation process. ‘Half should be deleted,’ he insisted. ‘Instead of two nails for each foot, try it with only one,’ he ordered. ‘If the house has a hurricane the whole neighborhood is fucked up so who cares. One nail is going to be fine.’”
Musk has this philosophy of making parts “idiot proof.” Components that are way more expensive than their raw materials fail the idiot test. I didn’t realize how much of his impact had to do with how cheap he was. And also he’s so in the details. So sensing. Obsessed with manufacturing and production in a way that Jobs wasn’t. Telling people “their resignation will be accepted immediately” if they don’t know the exact components of all the products they’re working on and their cost. Musk somehow memorized all that stuff.
With Spacex he had a lot of success using cheap conventional parts instead of bespoke rocket-specific parts (e.g. commercial ac units rather than $3 million for an aerospace-designed air cooler, or modifying a latch used in bathroom stalls for $30 rather than $1,500 NASA space latches). Aerospace was flabby.
Another reason for his success seems to be getting designers and engineers to work together rather than working separately at two different stages of product creation. Thought it was important for designers to get immediate feedback about design feasibility.
It’s crazy how many different things he was involved in. Not just Tesla and Spacex but PayPal, Starlink, Neuralink, Twitter, OpenAI, Solar City, Boring company. Walking around listening to the audiobook, it was hard not to be looking at something he had a hand in making.