Elon Musk

The temptation with a character like Musk would be to color the man by recent actions, and this is just what Isaacson avoids. Musk's mad dash from left to right, from empathic to near sociopathic, leaves many flummoxed. Heraclitus said that character is destiny, and while I have problems with this particular philosophy (I would argue that action is destiny and than a person can — as many have — overcome character to act well and in accords with greatness), this idea does seem to be playing out right on course for Musk. Upon finishing the book I thought I had an understanding of why Musk does the things he does, and this is about the best cover copy a biography could want. None of this is to say that I agree with Musk's principles or the conclusions he reaches as a result of holding those principles — it simply means that I believe Musk is in fact a man living out his principles. He is a flawed human. Of course. Some of us are more flawed than others and Musk is pretty high on that chart most days. The problem with a society that imbues individuals with this much money, unchecked, is that the wealth comes with commensurate power. As such, Musk's flaws and mistakes are magnified many times over. I've often thought that this was what money actually was: a magnifier. A charitable poor person will be, upon becoming rich, a more charitable person. A poor miser will make an even more miserly rich person. Anger, humility, creativity, loving kindness, sociopathy, saintliness — all of these things become magnified through the lens of an increased bank account. Musk has achieved a wealth to rival entire nation states and so his foibles and his gifts are on display, equally magnified, playing out before us in real time. I don't know how his story is eventually going to play out. Neither do you. I am curious to find out. All or most of Isaacson's subjects are dead by the time he writes their stories, so I'm left to wonder if the author won't be doing a follow up as Musk's game moves into extra innings. What is obvious is that the final chapter has not been written, and that whether it's Isaacson that writes it or someone else, I would not feel confident judging Musk as a net positive or net negative force for human affairs and history based solely on this necessarily incomplete history of the man. What I can say is that Musk will likely continue to be a force acting out and acting upon us all in some form or fashion for the foreseeable future.

Apart from Twitter part dragging out for far too long, I absolutely adored this audiobook. Interesting and engaging all throughout. Truly gives you an insight into a mind of this genius. My favorite work of Isaacson so far (Elon > Jobs > Einstein > da Vinci).


Elon is often perceived as an asshole, lacks empathy (he does have Asperger's), and exhibits somewhat of a multiple personality disorder. He continues to grapple with the scars of his childhood, largely shaped by the abusive behavior of his father, whose behavior he's known to portray. He has an addiction to taking risks and frequently acts on impulse, a habit that often leads him to inadvertently sabotage himself (Twitter, anyone?). However, I can't help but admire him for everything he has accomplished and has yet to achieve.


Would he accomplish all of this if he was any different? Probably not.


“As Shakespeare teaches us, all heroes have flaws, some tragic, some conquered, and those we cast as villains can be complex. Even the best people, he wrote, are ‘molded out of faults.' ”