Elon Musk
eBook - ePub

Elon Musk

  1. 688 pages
  2. English
  3. ePUB (mobile friendly)
  4. Available on iOS & Android
eBook - ePub

Elon Musk

About this book

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?

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Table of contents

  1. Cover
  2. Title Page
  3. Epigraph
  4. Prologue: Muse of Fire
  5. Chapter 1: Adventurers
  6. Chapter 2: A Mind of His Own: Pretoria, the 1970s
  7. Chapter 3: Life with Father: Pretoria, the 1980s
  8. Chapter 4: The Seeker: Pretoria, the 1980s
  9. Chapter 5: Escape Velocity: Leaving South Africa, 1989
  10. Chapter 6: Canada: 1989
  11. Chapter 7: Queen’s: Kingston, Ontario, 1990–1991
  12. Chapter 8: Penn: Philadelphia, 1992–1994
  13. Chapter 9: Go West: Silicon Valley, 1994–1995
  14. Chapter 10: Zip2: Palo Alto, 1995–1999
  15. Chapter 11: Justine: Palo Alto, the 1990s
  16. Chapter 12: X.com: Palo Alto, 1999–2000
  17. Chapter 13: The Coup: PayPal, September 2000
  18. Chapter 14: Mars: SpaceX, 2001
  19. Chapter 15: Rocket Man: SpaceX, 2002
  20. Chapter 16: Fathers and Sons: Los Angeles, 2002
  21. Chapter 17: Revving Up: SpaceX, 2002
  22. Chapter 18: Musk’s Rules for Rocket-Building: SpaceX, 2002–2003
  23. Chapter 19: Mr. Musk Goes to Washington: SpaceX, 2002–2003
  24. Chapter 20: Founders: Tesla, 2003–2004
  25. Chapter 21: The Roadster: Tesla, 2004–2006
  26. Chapter 22: Kwaj: SpaceX, 2005–2006
  27. Chapter 23: Two Strikes: Kwaj, 2006–2007
  28. Chapter 24: The SWAT Team: Tesla, 2006–2008
  29. Chapter 25: Taking the Wheel: Tesla, 2007–2008
  30. Chapter 26: Divorce: 2008
  31. Chapter 27: Talulah: 2008
  32. Chapter 28: Strike Three: Kwaj, August 3, 2008
  33. Chapter 29: On the Brink: Tesla and SpaceX, 2008
  34. Chapter 30: The Fourth Launch: Kwaj, August–September 2008
  35. Chapter 31: Saving Tesla: December 2008
  36. Chapter 32: The Model S: Tesla, 2009
  37. Chapter 33: Private Space: SpaceX, 2009–2010
  38. Chapter 34: Falcon 9 Liftoff: Cape Canaveral, 2010
  39. Chapter 35: Marrying Talulah: September 2010
  40. Chapter 36: Manufacturing: Tesla, 2010–2013
  41. Chapter 37: Musk and Bezos: SpaceX, 2013–2014
  42. Chapter 38: The Falcon Hears the Falconer: SpaceX, 2014–2015
  43. Chapter 39: The Talulah Roller Coaster: 2012–2015
  44. Chapter 40: Artificial Intelligence: OpenAI, 2012–2015
  45. Chapter 41: The Launch of Autopilot: Tesla, 2014–2016
  46. Chapter 42: Solar: Tesla Energy, 2004–2016
  47. Chapter 43: The Boring Company: 2016
  48. Chapter 44: Rocky Relationships: 2016–2017
  49. Chapter 45: Descent into the Dark: 2017
  50. Chapter 46: Fremont Factory Hell: Tesla, 2018
  51. Chapter 47: Open-Loop Warning: 2018
  52. Chapter 48: Fallout: 2018
  53. Chapter 49: Grimes: 2018
  54. Chapter 50: Shanghai: Tesla, 2015–2019
  55. Chapter 51: Cybertruck: Tesla, 2018–2019
  56. Chapter 52: Starlink: SpaceX, 2015–2018
  57. Chapter 53: Starship: SpaceX, 2018–2019
  58. Chapter 54: Autonomy Day: Tesla, April 2019
  59. Chapter 55: Giga Texas: Tesla, 2020–2021
  60. Chapter 56: Family Life: 2020
  61. Chapter 57: Full Throttle: SpaceX, 2020
  62. Chapter 58: Bezos vs. Musk, Round 2: SpaceX, 2021
  63. Chapter 59: Starship Surge: SpaceX, July 2021
  64. Chapter 60: Solar Surge: Summer 2021
  65. Chapter 61: Nights Out: Summer 2021
  66. Chapter 62: Inspiration4: SpaceX, September 2021
  67. Chapter 63: Raptor Shake-up: SpaceX, 2021
  68. Chapter 64: Optimus Is Born: Tesla, August 2021
  69. Chapter 65: Neuralink: 2017–2020
  70. Chapter 66: Vision Only: Tesla, January 2021
  71. Chapter 67: Money: 2021–2022
  72. Chapter 68: Father of the Year: 2021
  73. Chapter 69: Politics: 2020–2022
  74. Chapter 70: Ukraine: 2022
  75. Chapter 71: Bill Gates: 2022
  76. Chapter 72: Active Investor: Twitter, January–April 2022
  77. Chapter 73: “I made an offer”: Twitter, April 2022
  78. Chapter 74: Hot and Cold: Twitter, April–June 2022
  79. Chapter 75: Father’s Day: June 2022
  80. Chapter 76: Starbase Shake-up: SpaceX, 2022
  81. Chapter 77: Optimus Prime: Tesla, 2021–2022
  82. Chapter 78: Uncertainty: Twitter, July–September 2022
  83. Chapter 79: Optimus Unveiled: Tesla, September 2022
  84. Chapter 80: Robotaxi: Tesla, 2022
  85. Chapter 81: “Let that sink in”: Twitter, October 26–27, 2022
  86. Chapter 82: The Takeover: Twitter, Thursday, October 27, 2022
  87. Chapter 83: The Three Musketeers: Twitter, October 26–30, 2022
  88. Chapter 84: Content Moderation: Twitter, October 27–30, 2022
  89. Chapter 85: Halloween: Twitter, October 2022
  90. Chapter 86: Blue Checks: Twitter, November 2–10, 2022
  91. Chapter 87: All In: Twitter, November 10–18, 2022
  92. Chapter 88: Hardcore: Twitter, November 18–30, 2022
  93. Chapter 89: Miracles: Neuralink, November 2022
  94. Chapter 90: The Twitter Files: Twitter, December 2022
  95. Chapter 91: Rabbit Holes: Twitter, December 2022
  96. Chapter 92: Christmas Capers: December 2022
  97. Chapter 93: AI for Cars: Tesla, 2022–2023
  98. Chapter 94: AI for Humans: X.AI, 2023
  99. Chapter 95: The Starship Launch: SpaceX, April 2023
  100. Acknowledgments
  101. About the Author
  102. Sources
  103. Notes
  104. Index
  105. Photo Credits
  106. Copyright