CTech’s Book Review: An inside look at The Elon Musk Show

Michael Rosman is the VP of Marketing & Corporate Strategy at Verbit, a professional AI transcription and captioning solution. He has joined CTech to share a review of “Elon Musk” by Walter Isaacson.

Title: “Elon Musk”
Author: Walter Isaacson
Format: Audiobook
Where: Commute

Michael Rosman is the VP of Marketing & Corporate Strategy at Verbit

Summary:

The book delves into Elon Musk’s personality and his relentless drive to change the world and write his name in the history books. It follows his life story from childhood in South Africa, to the founding of multiple leading tech companies, to becoming the richest man in the world. The book explores how Musk’s relentless work ethic, fueled by a desire to solve existential threats and push humanity forward, fuels ventures like Tesla and SpaceX.

It examines the key traits that make him a successful entrepreneur focusing on audacious goals, calculated risks, and his ability to inspire and lead teams to achieve aspirational targets. The author also goes into great detail on Musk’s personal life, drawing direct connections between his business conduct and his personal relationships, starting with his complex relationship with his father and inspiration from his family through changing relationships with his siblings, partners, and children.

Important themes:

From Adversity to Ambition: The book explores how Musk's formative years in South Africa, marked by hardship and isolation, fueled his fascination with science fiction and technology. This early crucible likely laid the groundwork for his relentless pursuit of audacious goals.

Building Empires, One Startup at a Time: Arriving in the U.S., Musk's ambition ignited. The biography details his early ventures like Zip2 and the original X.com (later PayPal), showcasing his incredible work ethic and unwavering drive for control and innovation. It details the founding of another half dozen companies as well as his taking over Twitter (now X, a letter that is its own theme throughout Musk’s life).

Shooting for Mars: Beyond the Silicon Valley Bubble: A significant portion of the book delves into SpaceX, the brainchild that embodies Musk's audacious vision. His unwavering focus on space exploration, including colonizing Mars, highlights his ambition to push the boundaries of technology and redefine humanity's future.

The Man Behind the Visionary: The book, however, doesn't shy away from portraying Musk's complexities. He's presented as a demanding leader, sometimes ruthless in his pursuit of goals. However, author Walter Isaacson compels the reader to consider whether these traits are a necessary byproduct of his groundbreaking achievements.

What I’ve learned:

This book was a true eye-opener as it describes at great length how the combination of guts and genius can be powerful if you are willing to make significant sacrifices. I had an image of the public Elon Musk based on everything I heard him say and what people say about him. However, this book allowed me to get a much deeper view of what he's actually done. It provides details on his successes as well as his failures.

It sheds light on the personal prices he was and is willing to pay and suggests motives behind some of his surprising business decisions and personal tweets. It also helps in understanding the constellation of companies he has been creating and the inter-relationships between them. I've also learned that when you have enough capital and are truly willing to lose all of it as well as all your personal relationships, you can do almost anything. But I also learned that I will never be that person.

Critiques:

Although the book creates a sense of unbiased reporting including one of the opening statements claiming that Musk didn't even read the book before giving it the green light there is undeniable praise and awe at Musk as a leader. It paints a picture of someone who has gone against the odds, against common thinking, and against common sense to achieve the unthinkable. Musk’s business achievements are undeniable, though the book covers very little of the prices people around him have and are paying for playing a role in the Elon Musk show.

I found myself constantly wondering how Musk manages to create such deep loyalty that allows his companies to run "on their own" for long periods of time between his "surges" and all the while knowing they could be the next roadkill when Musk finds a subjective flaw in their work. Similar to Musk's egocentric personality, the book captures much of Musk’s personal perception of relationships and overlooks its impact from other people's points of view. The book leaves the reader with a story that feels a bit shallow in this sense; it leaves you with lots of drama and sensational headlines but without the true depth of the rings in the water.

Finally, you can't help but think that this book is "part 1" as it is a story still being written and much of what has already been captured may look very different in hindsight.

Who should read this book:

Leaders in organizations of all sizes, to assess an extreme example of leadership style with its merits and shortcomings. HR leaders may find this book of particular interest as it suggests praise for a leadership style that is far from the mainstream.