Articles
Elon Musk, the technology entrepreneur behind electronic vehicle company Tesla, has become Silicon Valley royalty and graces the headlines more frequently than ever. Whether it’s his mission to colonise Mars, his Hyperloop concept or his – not always successful – tests of autonomous cars, his ideas seem to intrigue people as much as does the man himself.
Touted as the real-life Tony Stark and mentioned alongside innovators such as Howard Hughes and Steve Jobs, Musk has always exuded mystery. Author Ashlee Vance gives us a glimpse into the psyche of the man who took Silicon Valley by storm, and inspired awe, loyalty, aggravation and resentment in equal measure.
From the video game he created at the age of 12 in his native South Africa to the industries he developed in his adoptive home of California, Vance’s book chronicles the scars of his childhood and the hurdles he faced in the professional world that shaped him into the success he is today.
The book does a good job of providing a balanced view of Musk’s life and persona. If one page is dedicated to expressing his perseverance, resilience and sporadic generosity, another page illustrates his bouts of apathy, mania and indignation. Vance has gone to great lengths to obtain anecdotes from admirers and detractors alike. Musk also granted the author first-hand information.
The book offers particulars of Musk’s projects in great detail, from sales figures to mechanical specifics that will thrill automotive enthusiasts. It is an informative account of the meticulous infrastructure involved in his designs and the system failures that had to be overcome to bring his innovations to life.
If there’s one gripe it’s that the book ventures too deeply into the lives of Musk’s associates, digressing from the main subject.
In the end, you’re left with the impression that Musk truly is an ambitious and relentless man of iron who has sky-rocketed to unprecedented heights.
Elon Musk: How the Billionaire CEO of SpaceX and Tesla is Shaping our Future, by Ashlee Vance, is published by Virgin Books at £9.99.