Book Babble #9: "Elon Musk - How the Billionaire CEO of SpaceX and Tesla is Shaping our Future"

“Being an entrepreneur is like eating glass and staring into the abyss of death” ~ Elon Musk

Thanks for the encouragement Elon! ;) Today we head for the moon with some Musky reading…

Here we have the eccentric visionary 'Iron Man' himself, Mr Elon Musk and his biography. It's not written by him, so not an 'auto' but by an author by the name of Ashlee Vance. 

I always prefer these things written in the first person, straight from the horse's mouth so to speak (although I know a lot of those are ghost written), but these provide a great insight too as it comes from a slightly different perspective and is written with his full cooperation and input. 

I'm sure most are aware of Musk and his activities but here is a brief overview: he’s a Canadian/American billionaire, born in South Africa, business magnate and inventor amongst other things. Currently the CEO of SpaceX, founder of Tesla Motors, Solar City and PayPal.

The book is slightly heavy going and will definitely suit some of the 'tech nerds' and those in to the nitty-gritty of building rockets and the like. 

Personally, I’m more interested in the business acumen, the rise from not much, the shitty (yet, exciting) bit in the middle where they grind it out before becoming a success, then of course lapping it up when they make it. There is that element too but a fair bit of the nuts and bolts to wade through as well. 

A guy with big ideas (some may say wild) and someone to keep an eye on as he is bound to be at the forefront of where this planet is heading.

Okey dokey Musketeer, what do you have to say for yourself? Some handpicked quotes from the book along with my additional thoughts…

One thing that Musk holds in the highest regard is resolve, and he respects people who continue on after being told no. 

Gritty persistence. Keeping on keeping on despite all obstacles. 

“Do you think I’m insane?” 

Something Musk said to Vance (author) at an early meeting between them. Strange question perhaps. And what was his answer? How about you, do you think he's crazy… or a genius?

“We wanted flying cars, instead we got 140 characters” 

Actually a quote from Peter Thiel, co-founder of PayPal and what became a tagline for his venture capital firm. These were his views on the (apparent) lack of advance in technology. Surely the next big leap is on the way!

I think technology has come on leaps and bounds but there are those who think it has stalled. There may be something to be said for both views and it's all a case of perspective and expectations. 

What Musk has developed that so many of the entrepreneurs in Silicon Valley lack is a meaningful worldview. 

He has a central core and mission. He is in no way just building businesses. Or making money. He has deep beliefs and huge ideas, with a clear future vision. 

twins and triplets

Musk shares custody of his 5 young boys (at the time of the book). I highlighted this as it dawned on me the magnitude of having twins and triplets! Also, I have no idea how Musk orders his life now and I'm also not saying that you want to live like him. 

But it goes to show (and there are many other examples) that it is possible to have a family and go after other aspirations. I'm not talking about utopian futures on Mars, slightly more earthly pursuits that are well within grasp with a bit of management and get up and go. 

“He does what he wants, and he is relentless about it. It’s Elon’s world, and the rest of us live in it.” 

A quote from his ex-wife. Dogged focus and constant action. Lives how he wants. Selfish perhaps? Maybe… or maybe very selfless. Again it's perspective and how you assess someone's contribution. 

one of the really tough things is figuring out what questions to ask,” Musk said. “Once you figure out the question, then the answer is relatively easy. 

Musk here was paraphrasing The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams. Ask the right questions, get good answers. Act accordingly. 

we were capable of anything. You just have to make a decision and do it. 

The power of belief and decision. They come up over and over again and tie in to one another. Easy to write and speak about, a lot harder to put in to practice. We need to find ways to empower these aspects and everything else is gravy ;).

“My mentality is that of a samurai. I would rather commit seppuku than fail.” 

I'll let you Google 'seppuku' for yourself, suffice to say it's a form of Japanese suicide. It's safe to say Musk has strong views on making his objectives a success! It goes to show the all in commitment that is required and often necessary for achievement. 

The quote sounds extreme (and I hope an exaggeration) but it does highlight what you need to do. Again, you don't have to go to such measures, but it is important to know what's at stake to hit the big leagues. 

Also, Musk has 'failed' more than anyone but he keeps coming back for more! After all, you only fail if you quit. A cheesy meme quote for sure, but absolutely true. As long as you're still in the game, the show's not over!

All the bankers did was copy what everyone else did. If everyone else ran off a bloody cliff, they’d run right off a cliff with them. If there was a giant pile of gold sitting in the middle of the room and nobody was picking it up, they wouldn’t pick it up, either.” 

The wacky financial system and some of Musk's fun and games within it. All successful entrepreneurs seem to have trouble being lent money earlier on in their careers (ie. when they need the money for growth). 

It's funny, those same bankers then try to throw money at them left, right and centre a few years later… when the business owner has plenty. The banks and their ilk follow the herd. As with most people. 

Musk wants to conquer the solar system, and, as it stands, there’s just one company where you can work if that sort of quest gets you out of bed in the morning. 

SpaceX attracts a certain type of employee. No ordinary company, no ordinary mission… and no ordinary boss.

One of my favorite things about Elon is his ability to make enormous decisions very quickly. That is still how it works today.” 

There's decision again! Quick and bold calls and no faffing about, even with the big choices. Take the action, take the consequences… then take new decisions as appropriate from what results. 

We’re trying to have a really big impact on the space industry. If the rules are such that you can’t make progress, then you have to fight the rules. 

There's a big vision at play. That's the goal. If the so-called rules impede progress towards them then you need to break them. This is no time for colouring within the lines. There could of course be a whole debate on where those lines are. 

As Page puts it, “Good ideas are always crazy until they’re not.” It’s a principle he’s tried to apply at Google. 

A reference to Larry Page, co-founder of Google. Sure, everything's crazy until it's done. Best not to concern ourselves too much with others lack of ideas or vision. 

‘I am a complicated man with very simple but specific needs’ or ‘No man is an island unless he is large and buoyant.’ 

Part of a reference to Elon's pure passion. He feels emotions strongly and has a child-like outlook. Above is an example of random Musk-isms.

He seems to feel for the human species as a whole without always wanting to consider the wants and needs of individuals. And it may well be the case that this is exactly the type of person it takes to make a freaking space Internet real. 

Bigger picture. End justifies the means?

As a toddler, Musk would often drift off into his own world and ignore those around him. Doctors theorized that he might be hard of hearing and had his adenoid glands removed. 

Oops. Just thinking about conquering space. 

Cheers Elon! Anything else?

Musk is not the best speaker in the world or socially smooth. You hear him giving interviews and speeches and it's a bit painful. It's not his skillset. Branson and Gates aren't great at this either. But these boys certainly know how to roll and more than excel at their respective strengths. 

Another point here, you don't have to be great at everything, triple down on your strengths (thanks Gary V!) and team up with others who fill the gaps - and also fits well with what they do best and enjoy. 

What Musk wants to express is where his power lies. He has a complexed brain and a supreme work ethic.  

He's taken it close to the wire a couple of times. When you're launching rockets into space, it takes a lot of time, energy and money. On his fourth attempt of a launch, it had to work or he was out of money. Here's a guy who was a billionaire and basically had it all tied up in his next move. 

If that last attempt at lift-off had failed, that would have been it. It was a success and he/the company lived to fight another day as well as take big strides forward in their endeavours. He talks about it in this interview, here's a brief clip:

I like Musk. He's a little different to most people out there. And at least the guy is trying, even if you don't agree with everything he does or says. He's not sitting around whining, he is making things happen and a true explorer. However you cut it, he will be known as a leading figure of our time. 

Wild theories and ideas are always a bonus. Musk has a few of those, although not really so crazy when you look at it.

He has some 'concerns' over the development of AI (artificial intelligence). Probably best not to worry about it too much right now, but he has a point. It could go either way. My advice would be to enjoy the ride! 

He also has views on the likelihood that we are living in a virtual reality simulation. Not so wacky when you think about it; after all we're not too far from developing that situation now, so it stands to reason that it could have already been developed. Trippy ;). 

So, the jury’s out on the book but definitely worth a look if you are interested in the industries he’s involved with and/or intrigued by the man himself. Elon Musk and Richard Branson are 2 names you can't ignore at this time. Although I think Mark Z might have had his day ;).

What do you make of it all? The book, Musk, AI… colonising Mars?? And let me know if there are any great books I/we should check out!

~ Adam
@adambarratt

Related:
~ Original #BookBabble post
~ Think Like Da Vinci; End of Jobs; The One Thing; Eat, Move, Sleep
1. Shoe Dog by Phil Knight
2. Crushing It by Gary Vaynerchuk
3. Finding Ultra by Rich Roll
4. Wooden by John Wooden
5. Relentless by Tim Grover
6. On Writing by Stephen King
7. Start With Why by Simon Sinek
8. The Chimp Paradox by Steve Peters
10. Way of the Wolf by Jordan Belfort

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