Elon Musk

Not getting through the biographies as quickly as I might like and some are pretty long; all are very interesting.  The Elon Musk biography by Walter Isaacson paints pretty much the picture you have likely read about before.  Whatever else you think of him, Musk is a once in a century innovator.  He started with nothing; he was largely self-taught in learning software and engineering.  He came to America because of the perception, accurate at the time, that it offered the best environment to do big things, to be bold.  His work ethic is absurd–literally sleeping at workplaces.  Attention to detail, an unrelenting focus on eliminating the unnecessary, speeding processes up and lowering costs.  The obsession has paid off, as he has built the most successful space launch company in the world, with an ultimate goal of settling Mars, the biggest electric car company by far, a home solar energy company, the leading battery storage solution, brain interfaces, humanized robots, artificial intelligence and I suspect a few we aren’t even aware of.

I was particularly struck by his ability to create extremely efficient manufacturing plants.  He has demonstrated that we don’t need to have things made in China or Mexico or anywhere else; we can build products right here in the United States.  Musk has become a polarizing figure, particularly after his Twitter purchase and his conversion to the anti-woke movement.  But what shouldn’t divide people is what he has done for the United States’ economy.  If other companies replicated his approach, we would have far more innovation, efficiency and wealth.  It is astounding that one person could do so much; the closest analogue is Edison.

And of course there is a dark side to his life.  His father was a complete jackass, mentally abusive to Elon from early childhood, and that clearly scarred Musk and led to him exhibiting similar behavior.  There likely is some genetic component to his mental health issues.  He claims to have Aspergers and to have difficulty with empathy, but I wondered if that isn’t just an excuse allowing him to indulge in poor behavior.  It is possible to be very demanding of those who work with you and not be an asshole about it.  You can show people how to do things better without berating and belittling them.  While he never asks anyone to do something he wouldn’t do himself, he also asks everyone to have the same attitude toward work that he does–devote your entire life to it and not have any room for other important parts of life–relationships and family.

I came away from the book with an even deeper admiration for all he has accomplished and all he means to this country.  I would hope he could mature in some ways, but it seems unlikely at this point.  And I certainly hope he continues to succeed at his endeavors, which have made a substantial difference in the world.