Great googly-moogly does this man have a favourite child!

There are times when Elon’s side of the story invokes some genuine empathy, especially about his family. Other times the book comes off as a desperate attempt to recover pieces of a crumbling public image.

Most times, he just comes off as an arse.

The author does a great job of folding in a bit of every Musk production, from Paypal to Neuralink. The Boring Company was scarcely mentioned, which makes me wonder if ol’ Musky is still a bit tender on the topic. Tesla is also handled very delicately since he’s in deep legal shenanigans with shareholders even as I write this review. SpaceX represents a large proportion of Musk’s professional recollections, and his many romantic dramas take up much of the personal.

Isaacson’s biography cuts shockingly close to the present day, making it a surprisingly illuminating glance into the Twitter takeover. I found myself pausing frequently to compare the book’s recollection of events with journalists’ articles. As you probably suspect, there are discrepancies.

Intentional or not, the most interesting part of the book is watching Musk slowly slide from an idealistic (if abrasive) tech pioneer to an emotional and reactive sycophant. Isaacson is sure to highlight the exact moments Elon’s political opinions begin taking over his professional life. His complicated political values, and his borderline delusional commitment to them, take up much of the latter third of the book. If you’re in this read exclusively for rocketry, you’re going to find yourself bored.

There are many places I feel Isaacson was more honest than Elon would probably have liked, and many moments that I feel Elon had meddled with. Such is life when the subject of the biography is still alive.

In the end, I think this work treads a delicate line, and everyone except the most hardline haters and fanboys will find it fascinating. ( )

Elon Musk is a fascinating person. Mr. Isaacson has given us a portrait of his genius, temperament, achievements, and relationships.

I like the way the book provided a deep dive into the inner workings of Mr. Musk's companies: Tesla, SpaceX and his early days at Twitter. He is so driven and expects everyone around him to be totally devoted to their jobs. He is a difficult boss who can also be inspirational. He has an extremely high tolerance for risk that can make it difficult to work for him. But look at what he's achieved!

This book had a different tone from most of the other works by Mr. Isaacson that I've read. It is the second of his books about living people that I've read (the other being Code Breaker) and I was surprised that the author inserted himself in the latter part of the book. I was also disappointed that the book wasn't always chronological, which had me wondering where the subject was in his personal life while various work challenges were presenting themselves (or being created by Mr. Musk).

In spite of that, Mr. Isaacson has done his usual great job of bringing a well researched, multidimensional subject to the reader in an inspiring way.

p.s. I loved Maye Musk, Elon's mother. She is an inspiration herself! ( )

Captivating story of Elon Musk. The sheer brilliance and mind-numbing projects and ideas is incredible. Perhaps a handful of people on the planet who think - and achieve - like this.
Though Isaacson does a good job, it felt out of balance (anti-Elon, and anti-free speech) in the Twitter sections, and this was disappointing. ( )

Insight into an interesting person. Isaacson provided an amazing amount of insight. His study of influential people and his ability to both draw them out and make sense of what they say makes a great book. ( )

Excellent book about a really really interesting man. Just incredible the intensity and depth of his work. Reminds me of some people I have had the privilege of working with. Also makes me feel like I have wasted a lot of my time! A loooong book; 20 hours on audible. Only downside is that the reader is a little pedantic. ( )