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Elon Musk

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Elon Musk

Written by: Walter Isaacson, Walter Isaacson - introduction
Narrated by: Jeremy Bobb
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About this listen

 The #1 New York Times and global bestseller from Walter Isaacson—the acclaimed author of Steve Jobs, Einstein: His Life and World, Benjamin Franklin, and Leonardo da Vinci—is the astonishingly intimate story of the most fascinating, controversial innovator of modern times. For two years, Isaacson shadowed Elon Musk as he executed his vision for electric vehicles at Tesla, space exploration with SpaceX, the AI revolution, and the takeover of Twitter and its conversion to X. The result is the definitive portrait of the mercurial pioneer that offers clues to his political instincts, future ambitions, and overall worldview.

When Elon Musk was a kid in South Africa, he was regularly beaten by bullies. One day a group pushed him down some concrete steps and kicked him until his face was a swollen ball of flesh. He was in the hospital for a week. But the physical scars were minor compared to the emotional ones inflicted by his father, an engineer, rogue, and charismatic fantasist.

His father’s impact on his psyche would linger. He developed into a tough yet vulnerable man-child, prone to abrupt Jekyll-and-Hyde mood swings, with an exceedingly high tolerance for risk, a craving for drama, an epic sense of mission, and a maniacal intensity that was callous and at times destructive.

At the beginning of 2022—after a year marked by SpaceX launching thirty-one rockets into orbit, Tesla selling a million cars, and him becoming the richest man on earth—Musk spoke ruefully about his compulsion to stir up dramas. “I need to shift my mindset away from being in crisis mode, which it has been for about fourteen years now, or arguably most of my life,” he said.

It was a wistful comment, not a New Year’s resolution. Even as he said it, he was secretly buying up shares of Twitter, the world’s ultimate playground. Over the years, whenever he was in a dark place, his mind went back to being bullied on the playground. Now he had the chance to own the playground.

For two years, Isaacson shadowed Musk, attended his meetings, walked his factories with him, and spent hours interviewing him, his family, friends, coworkers, and adversaries. The result is the revealing inside story, filled with amazing tales of triumphs and turmoil, that addresses the question: are the demons that drive Musk also what it takes to drive innovation and progress? Business History & Culture Professionals & Academics Science & Technology Technology Inspiring Thought-Provoking Computer Science Africa

What the critics say

"Listeners will find it all here—Musk’s challenging early life in South Africa, his problematic relationships with his family, and the focused hatred aimed his way for his purchase of Twitter, now renamed X."
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I throughly enjoyed this biography of someone who lives Apple’s “Think different” Ad. “While some see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do”

Fascinating look at Someone who changes the world

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I'm in HR, and after watching the greats in business like Steve Jobs and Elon, all that BS we sputter about what makes great companies and leadership is laughable. It's not DEI, employment equity programs, Foosball tables and giving entirled employees more for less effort. it's having balls to not care what people think, passion and vision and driving people to do their best. Yes, he's an ahole but a smart driven one who wants ro change the world. The losers can hire the pansies. Elon is an inspiration. 👏 Bravo! great read.

Elon defies all Current HR rethoric

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An amazing inside scoop of how the brilliant world changing character Elon musk came to be and what motivates his actions. A great listen.

AMAZING AMAZING

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Another incredible biography by the talented Walter Isaacson! A great recount of the significant moments in the life of one of the greatest minds that has ever existed. Whether you love him, hate him…or simply don’t understand him, Elon Musk believes to his core that his life’s mission is to conserve human consciousness and move civilization forward. I believe that the rough edges of him were a significant part of how he has been able to make such complex changes in such a short time.

Walter Isaacson does a phenomenal job of presenting the facts in an unbiased way and leaves the reader to contemplate if the ‘ends justify the means’. The narrator’s voice was captivating and enjoyable to listen to.

Insightful

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An easy listen. It's incredible how his brain works. highly recommend. The person reading it is engaging. Perfect read for an everyday commute.

better understanding of Musk

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