First off, this was an awesome book. Admittedly I didn’t know much about Elon Musk other then he was the CEO of Tesla and Space X.
This book does a good job of starting at the beginning of Elon’s life to give you a sense of why he is the way he is (science geek with an incredible drive).
The book also does a good job of getting commentary from a lot of influential people in Elon’s life and career.
Of course, some of the most interesting decided to decline being in the book but that is to be expected.
Throughout the book, I had mix feelings towards my opinion of Elon Musk.
On the one hand, I view him as an incredible industrialist who I look up to. I strongly believe in 100 years we will look back and discuss Elon Musk with the same sentiment we talk about Rockefeller and Carnegie, etc.
His drive is amazing and I couldn’t imagine the hours and passion he has put into his projects. I think he is clear on his life’s purpose and he is making the most out of his circumstances.
It is odd that a billionaire has such a strong desire to advance human life and make life better for everyone. Elon thinks years ahead of anyone else and it is clear with his decisions.
However, the other part of me views his contributions as toys for the rich. Hear me out.
I secretly would love to own a Tesla, and Elon and his engineers are on their way to making their electric cars more affordable. But right now, the Tesla is widely seen as a status symbol for the wealthy.
With Elon’s attention to detail and his complicated new features I just don’t see his car being the next VW bug where everyone is meant to afford one.
As for Space X, I think it is a very noble cause, interplanetary life, but who do you suppose will be able to afford such endeavors?
Perhaps after Elon tackles these two problems (making America less dependent on fossil fuels and putting a man on another planet) he will have the bandwidth to tackle some other problems.
Biggest Insights
The writing style, the stories, and Elon’s beliefs captivated me. I really enjoyed reading this book. I would strongly recommend it to anyone who wants to see inside the mind of a genius, workaholic, and visionary.
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