The first official biography delves into the life of entrepreneurial genius Elon Musk and his triumphs and failures in Silicon Valley.
From his childhood in South Africa to his rise to recognition as one of the world's most innovative entrepreneurs, this comprehensive account of Elon Musk's life is the most accurate yet, based on extensive interviews.
This is a meticulously researched record of the growth process he and his companies have gone through, from PayPal and X.com to Tesla Motors, SpaceX, and SolarCity. You can see his journey of designing the future of humanity by going beyond conventional wisdom with his genius talent and reckless passion.

Elon Musk, Architect of the Future

Musk gave me access to his company's executives, friends, and family.
We decided to meet up for dinner once a month while I was writing the book.
It was the first time Musk had revealed the inner workings of his world to a reporter.
About two and a half hours after we met, Musk stood up, his hands on the table, paused for a moment, looked me in the eye, and blurted out an absurd question.
“Do you think I’m out of my mind?”
It was only after spending a lot of time with Musk that I realized that the question was not directed at me, but at himself.
Musk stared intently into my eyes, as if trying to make his own judgment about whether I was trustworthy or not.
After a while, we shook hands and parted ways, and Musk drove off in Tesla's red Model S. ---「Chapter 1.
From "The World Elon Musk Dreams of"

In early 2012, cynics like myself had to acknowledge what Musk had actually accomplished.
His companies, once on the brink of collapse, were achieving unprecedented success.
SpaceX launched a supply capsule to the International Space Station and returned it safely to Earth.
Tesla Motors took the auto industry by storm and shocked Detroit with its Model S, a stunning, all-electric passenger car.
By achieving these two feats, Musk stands out among the business giants.
The only person to achieve comparable success in different industries is Steve Jobs, who made a hugely successful Pixar film the same year he launched a new product at Apple.
But Musk's activities are ongoing.---「Chapter 1.
From "The World Elon Musk Dreams of"

What Musk is developing, though lacking from many entrepreneurs in Silicon Valley, is a meaningful worldview.
Musk, who pursues a grand dream that no one else could have conceived, is not a CEO chasing wealth, but rather a general commanding an army to protect the goddess of victory.
While Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg wants to help people share baby photos, Musk wants to offer a helping hand to humanity, preventing its own self-inflicted or accidental demise.
To achieve this, the life Musk leads is beyond imagination. ---「Chapter 1.
From "The World Elon Musk Dreams of"

He invested most of the money he made from selling Zip2 into X.com.
But even by the risk-taking standards of Silicon Valley, investing so much of his newly minted wealth in a business with an uncertain future like online banking was a shock in itself.
Ed Ho, a former Zip2 executive who co-founded X.com, explains:
“This is the difference between Elon and ordinary people.
Elon is personally willing to take almost crazy risks.
If you do business like that, you'll either be successful or fail." He showed an innate ability to read people's minds and technological trends.
We've already set our sights and started targeting markets before others have even grasped the power of the Internet.
---Chapter 5.
From "Silicon Valley's Protagonist, PayPal Mafia"

He fired a marketing employee who wrote an email that was grammatically incorrect, and he also let go of an employee who, Musk recalls, hadn't been performing "greatly" recently.
A former Tesla executive testified:
“Elon can sometimes act incredibly threatening, but he doesn’t really know how much of a standout he is.
If you say you made that choice because that's the way things have been done in the industry, you'll be kicked out right away.
Elon would definitely say something like this:
'I never want to hear that again.
We have to give it our all, so a half-assed approach to work is absolutely unacceptable.' Elon dismisses employees whose work ethic he doesn't like, and only keeps those he deems trustworthy.
“You have to think of him as an employee who is as crazy as you are to keep him around.” This atmosphere permeated the entire company, and everyone quickly understood that Musk was serious about business. ---「Chapter 7.
Among the "supercars that run solely on electricity"

The roadster was a sensation in the automotive world.
The debate over electric cars has been heated to the point of being overly heated.
The sleek and fast electric car has everyone's heart racing.
The same month the Santa Monica event took place, the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance, a festival and competition of rare automobiles, kicked off.
Tesla has become a hot topic here as well, and the event organizers have offered to waive the exhibition fee and let them exhibit the Roadster.
Dozens of visitors to the Tesla booth at the event pre-ordered Roadsters on the spot, writing checks for $100,000. ---「Chapter 7.
Among the "supercars that run solely on electricity"

According to Robert Downey Jr., Musk, like the movie's protagonist Stark, is the type of person who "gets caught up in his ideas, burns his body and mind" and doesn't waste a moment.
Back at the Iron Man production studio, Downey asked director Favreau to make sure Stark's workshop in the film featured a Tesla Roadster.
Downey said:
“After meeting him in person, it felt like Elon was in the workshop.
Stark and Elon seemed like people who lived in the same era."---「Chapter 8.
From "The Gorgeous and Dangerous Iron Man"

Gracias, founder and CEO of Valo Equity and a close friend of Musk's, got a good sense of Musk's personality throughout 2008.
Musk arrived in the United States penniless, had lost his young son, was a public figure ridiculed by reporters and his ex-wife, and his life's work was in danger of being destroyed.
Gracias said:
“Elon has the ability to work harder and handle stress better than anyone I’ve ever met.
What he went through in 2008 was something no one in the world could have overcome.
But Elon didn't just hold on.
I kept working and didn't lose focus.
Most people feel fear when faced with that kind of pressure.
So you make wrong decisions.
But Elon takes an extremely rational attitude.
You can still make clear decisions with a long-term perspective.
The more difficult the situation, the more rational the decisions we make.
Anyone who has seen what Elon went through firsthand will come to respect him.
Elon's ability to overcome hardship is truly the best."---「Chapter 8.
From "The Gorgeous and Dangerous Iron Man"

The sight that unfolded as Musk opened the capsule's door and emerged was truly spectacular.
The spaceship that scientists and filmmakers have dreamed of has finally been completed.
Most surprisingly, Musk announced that Dragon 2 can land softly anywhere it wants.
This meant that spaceships would no longer sink in the ocean or be discarded after a single use. (p. 373) [Chapter 9.
From "SpaceX's Challenge"

Just months after its launch in November 2012, the Model S was named Motor Trend's first unanimous Car of the Year award since the magazine began conducting its survey.
Motor Trend praised the Model S for being the first non-combustion engine car to win Car of the Year, writing that it drives like a sports car, shifts as smoothly as a Rolls-Royce, has as much cargo space as a Chevrolet Equinox, and is more energy efficient than a Toyota Prius.
A few months later, Consumer Reports gave the Model S its highest score ever, 99 out of 100, calling it the best car ever produced.
Around this time, Model S sales began to soar, along with Tesla's stock price.
General Motors has formed a team to study the Model S, Tesla, and Elon Musk's management style. ---Chapter 10.
From "Tesla's Counterattack"

Musk explained the whole situation to Page and verbally agreed to sell Tesla to Google.
Musk was reluctant, but selling seemed like the only way for Tesla to survive going forward.
Musk feared more than anything that if he sold the company, the new owner would ignore Tesla's goals and make his own decisions.
I wanted to make sure that Tesla could ultimately mass produce electric cars.
So, he set a condition that he would be given management rights for eight years after the sale or until a mass market for electric vehicles was formed, and that he would be given $5 billion in support to expand the factory facilities.
Several Google lawyers opposed Musk's demands, but Musk and Page refused to give up negotiations.
Considering Tesla's value at the time, the acquisition cost was approximately $6 billion. ---Chapter 10.
From "Tesla's Counterattack"

A few years ago, people lumped Musk in with those who hyped up new technologies.
But as the braggart Musk transformed into a revered activist in Silicon Valley, he gradually built up his achievements.
Peter Thiel said, “Elon has some of the most talented people in the aerospace and automotive industries.
Because we're the only company in the United States that can create new and exciting products.
Both companies embody the vision of inspiring talented people to achieve remarkable things.” Thiel believes Musk’s goal of sending humans to Mars is something to be taken seriously and that it offers hope to the public—Chapter 11.
Among the “Icons of Future Industries”

When Musk announced in 2014 that he would fully disclose Tesla's patents, analysts tried to determine if it was a bid for media attention or if there were hidden motives or traps.
But Musk's intentions were simple.
Because many people want to make and buy electric cars.
Musk believes the future of humanity depends on it.
If Tesla opens up its patents so other companies can more easily build electric cars, it's good for humanity, and for that to happen, the ideas for building electric cars should be free.
Cynics will scoff at Musk's thinking, and understandably so.
But Musk is programmed to behave this way, and he is overly serious when explaining his thoughts. ---「Chapter 11.
Among the “Icons of Future Industries”

He believes that humans are dangerous beings who limit their own abilities.
And because he wants to fix this, anyone who brings up a bad idea in a meeting or makes a mistake at work is hindering Musk's efforts.
That doesn't mean I hate those kinds of people.
It would be more accurate to say that they are distressed by the fact that humanity has been in danger for so long because of the mistakes they make.
Being told he doesn't feel emotions is a symptom of Musk feeling like he's the only one who truly understands the urgency of his mission.
Because they believe their mission is so important, they are insensitive and impatient when it comes to understanding other people's feelings.
So, employees feel that they must either do their best to help solve the problem or step down.
Musk is upfront about this tendency and asks for understanding that he doesn't chase fleeting opportunities in the business world. ---Chapter 11.
Among the “Icons of Future Industries”

Tech industry insiders have likened Musk's drive and grand ambition to those of Bill Gates and Steve Jobs.
Edward Jung, a prodigy who worked under Jobs and Gates and now works as a senior software architect at Microsoft, said:
“Like both of them, Elon has a deep understanding of technology, works hard to achieve his vision, and is determined to move forward toward long-term goals.
Elon has a consumer sensibility like Steve Jobs and an ability to find great talent outside his area of ​​expertise like Bill Gates.
People want Bill Gates and Steve Jobs to use genetic engineering to create illegitimate children.
“We’ll have to look into Elon’s genotype to see if that’s really what happened.”---「Chapter 11.
Among the “Icons of Future Industries”

Steve Jurvetson, a venture capitalist who has invested in SpaceX, Tesla and SolarCity, worked for Steve Jobs and knows Bill Gates well, described Musk as a hybrid of the two.
“Elon, like Steve Jobs, does not tolerate C-level and D-level employees.
But he's more affable than Jobs and a little more sophisticated than Bill Gates." But the more I know about Musk, the harder it becomes to lump the three together.
Jobs was also known for his attention to detail, but he couldn't oversee the company's every move on a daily basis like Musk.
Musk's management style has its limitations, and his marketing and media strategies lack sophistication.
Most of the presentations at Tesla and SpaceX are done without rehearsing or polishing the speeches.
Sometimes, important news is announced on Friday afternoons, a day when reporters tend to miss the news because they are going home for the weekend.
The reason is simple.
This is because you either just finished a press release or want to wrap it up and move on to other work.
In contrast, Jobs treated every announcement and every moment he interacted with the press with utmost care.
But Musk doesn't have the resources to do that.

---「Chapter 11.
Among the “Icons of Future Industries”