Sebastian Gebski's Reviews > Elon Musk

There were many reasons NOT to read this book:
1. it's a biography (I don't like biographies)
2. it's not the closed story - Elon is alive & kickin'
3. I've already read one book about him, the one by Ashlee Vance

So why did I bother? The answer is short: Walter Isaacson, 'nuf said.

What kind of book is that? I bet my answer will surprise you: one reads it like a thriller. No, I'm not BSing you - the intensity is immense. There's no farting sweet, no stroking of the heads - the event chases yet another event, there's always some drama, there's always some target ahead & (of course) Elon, multiplying the sense of urgency. I wasn't bored for a single second here. Well, paradoxically, the only part where I was only 95% engaged was the one about the Twitter takeover - as I was already quite familiar with details (that have leaked out online before).

So, what did I like here most?
- Musk's personality is reflected in detail, without sugar-coating, without erecting him a monument; there are shining parts, but there are also gloomy shadows
- many people close to Musk were actually interviewed for this book: they bring in MAAANY details I've seen for the very first time
- I enjoyed reading about EM's interactions with other tech moguls - they bring a lot to the table (even if some of them were already published)
- surprisingly, this book does VERY well when it comes to revealing the reasons behind Musk's success; it not only depicts his "algorithm", but also shows how it's being every day "implemented" in his businesses

What didn't I like? Mostly two things:
1. There's really a lot about the greater good, and grand sense of mission (survival of the human race, bringing in renewable energy sources, etc.) - I'm not really buying that. It sounds like the founder's selling pitch (even to his own people to play with their intrinsic motivations). I have an impression WI fell for that because of not being critical enough / not filtering BS enough.
2. There's one element that is 99% missing here - crypto. It's mentioned once or twice in a critical context ("Elon is not a fan"), but the truth is that Elon has been cynically using his position & popularity to play people off by triggering market trends (yes, I mean dogecoin as well). It creates an impression the book was at least partially censored.

Someone has said recently that this book is very good, not even as Musk's biography, but as a business book. I tend to agree - it shows moves that appear crazy, but there's always something behind them. the algorithm. The specific modus operandi aimed for effectiveness. Some may not like it, some may disagree with it, but facts prove that it has been consistently successful in absolutely bonkers conditions, so ...

Highly recommended. I've enjoyed reading it A LOT.