Category: Biography

Rating: ★★★★★

Synopsis (Goodreads): In the spirit of Steve Jobs and Moneyball, Elon Musk is both an illuminating and authorized look at the extraordinary life of one of Silicon Valley’s most exciting, unpredictable, and ambitious entrepreneurs, Elon Musk—a real-life Tony Stark—and a fascinating exploration of the renewal of American invention and its new “makers”

Elon Musk spotlights the technology and vision of Elon Musk, the renowned entrepreneur and innovator behind SpaceX, Tesla, and SolarCity, who sold one of his internet companies, PayPal, for $1.5 billion. Ashlee Vance captures the full spectacle and arc of the genius’s life and work, from his tumultuous upbringing in South Africa and flight to the United States to his dramatic technical innovations and entrepreneurial pursuits.

Comments:

It’s been awhile since I read a biography, and I can’t remember the last time I blitzed through one so fast. I picked this up on a Saturday afternoon and was done by Sunday evening (with a couple of social engagements thrown in).

This book delivers on two fronts – the subject is fascinating in himself, and author Ashley Vance delivers his story well without sounding like too much of a devotee (he does occasionally lapse in this regard).

Overall it was an inspiring read and intriguing insight into what drives one of the best innovators and biggest dreamers in Silicon Valley – a key driver behind PayPal, Tesla, SpaceX, and SolarCity. I have to admit I have a bit of a crush on the guy after reading about him, if only because he cites The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy and Lord of the Rings as among the most influential books on his thinking.

Here be a man who epitomises what Steve Jobs once said. “The people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do”.