Elon Musk |
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24 Oktober 2023 - Adetswil
Walter Isaacson has written a number of biographies of historical and contemporary individuals associated with technology, but his book on Elon Musk is the first I've read. It was written in around a hundred small chapters of just a few pages that at times seemed more like a highlights reel than a narrative of a man's life. It was nice that each chapter started with photographs though. The book also focus much more on Musk's recent exploits. Of the 600 pages, only the first 100 are dedicated to Musk's first 30 years. Paypal, for example, only gets a single chapter. Something of Musk's character comes through in the later chapters where Isaacson allows more day to day details. Musk has a genius level ability to get into the details about electric cars, rocket ships, the internet, financial services, neurobiology, etc. and see's his role clearly in the arc of human history rather than the quarterly earnings reports that typically drive CEOs. The drive that allows Musk to all this actually compels him to, and Isaacson does a good job of showing that this drive can have a dark side as well. Musk has slept at the office or factory for extended periods at each of the companies he runs and expects the same dedication from his employees. I remember discussing with a friend employed at SpaceX several years back about their vacation policy that completely ignored US federal holidays. I also have several acquaintences who no longer work at Twitter. I can understand that crazy drive because I have it too, compelling me to run ultramarathons, have many kids, read widely, travel widely, write often, etc. Spreadsheets have been my superpower since I was a kid. I have not, however, focused on my career since my mid-20's as anything other than an enabler for my other goals. I gave up physics to because focusing on my children and family was more important. Musk's drive led to divorces and I've had my own, at least partially because I pushed Cara to go back to school to study science and then pushed her to get her PhD. Musk also brought his family along into his businesses, employing his kids just like me. And, being on the spectrum, I can understand how Musk understands people.
One of the things Isaacson does not, however, touch on is the way that governments have been the main drivers of success for both SpaceX and Tesla. NASA has paid SpaceX for the bulk of the payloads they've taken into space, and Tesla's electric cars coupld only compete in the market through large government subsidies. Musk often sounds like a libertarian, but he's also a master at suckling from the government teet. The evidence of a the-ends-justify-the-means mentality is also evidenced in the way he treats his employees and the way he's treated users at Twitter - reinstating Donald Trump, but suspending journalists who criticized him.
If the measure of a good biography is how fast I plow through the pages, then this one ranks highly. If, however, a biography is to be judged on completeness and a coherent narrative, then Isaacson's is surely lacking. I will probably read more of his books though.
