This is a copy paste from Jan 6th, 2024’s X post for more convenient viewing.
Book Introduction
The book today is Elon Musk by Walter Isaacson.
I’ve read many biographies and I have to say reading about a current figure and current events made this one was more entertaining than most in my opinion. This is one of few nonfiction books that has left me wanting more.
What’s it About?
There are about 600 pages of Elon Musk, from the earliest details up until mid-2023. The book covers his time in South Africa, Canada, and the United States as well as the demons instilled by his father. These demons are a doubled edged sword that push him to be ruthless and success. It sheds light on the history of where Musk came from and how he got started as an entrepreneur.
Each chapter is a slice of an event that either develops the story about Elon Musk or one of the companies he’s running. The author shadowed Musk for two years, and interviewed scores of people who’ve worked closely with him. There’s 70 or so pages of sources to look at. While the focus is on Musk, we get insight into many of his partners, friends, and family along the way. The book ends on a philosophical note, one that summarizes the drama, urgency, the related surges, and personality of Elon Musk: “When you've had success for too long, you lose the desire to take risks.”
What I Liked
The inclusion of details in 2023 for a September release in the same year surprised me considering publishing timelines. This helped bring insight into recent events like the Twitter purchase, his reasoning, and what was actually going on behind the scenes from the perspectives of multiple people, friend and foe. This multifaceted approach was used throughout the book, occasionally contradicting Elon’s own views when the two sides of the story could not be married.
There were a few sections I will be returning to think about deeper, His algorithm for success at Tesla and the Life Lessons from Polytopia.
What I Didn’t Like
It’s a biography, so there’s a lot of details that can be cumbersome and drag out sections that are uninteresting, but no section is more than a few pages.
Conclusion
This is a solid biography of the first (and dare I say half?) of Elon Musk’s life by one of the best biographers alive today. I look forward to digging into Isaacson’s other works in the coming years. As I said, most biographies don’t leave me wanting more, this one does. Unfortunately, time is required to get the next chapters.
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