WASHINGTON: A hotly anticipated biography of Elon Musk describes the turbulent tycoon as an individual driven by childhood demons, obsessed with bringing human life to Mars and who demands that staff be “hardcore.”
“Elon Musk” is written by star biographer Walter Isaacson who is best known for his best-selling portrayal of Apple founder Steve Jobs as well as his looks into the lives of Albert Einstein and Leonardo da Vinci.
Selected segments of the more than 600-page tome were granted early access to select US media outlets prior to its global release on Tuesday. These excerpts have sparked considerable anticipation and discussions in recent days.
Remarkably, even before its official launch on Amazon, “Elon Musk” had already climbed to the pinnacle of the site’s best-sellers list in the United States, reflecting the widespread fascination with Musk’s life and work.
While much of Elon Musk’s early life is public knowledge, with a particular focus on his tumultuous relationship with his abusive father, Errol, this biography delves deeper. It posits that Musk’s driving force stems from what his former partner, Grimes, terms the “demon mode”, which, according to Isaacson, makes him highly productive and is common among overachievers.
Yet, the book’s most captivating revelations emerge from the author’s recent access to Musk’s inner circle, offering a fly-on-the-wall perspective of his daily existence.
One widely circulated anecdote recounts Musk’s personal intervention in thwarting a Ukrainian military operation in Crimea by denying Starlink internet access, inciting anger in Kyiv. However, this narrative was amended after Musk clarified that Starlink was not operational in Crimea at the time.
The biography also scrutinizes Musk’s tumultuous takeover of Twitter, now rebranded as X, portraying him as grappling with the limitations of technology and sheer determination in the face of unattainable expectations.
A recurring theme throughout Isaacson’s portrayal is Musk’s penchant for vindictiveness towards skeptics and critics.
Following his acquisition of Twitter, Musk and his closest associates embarked on a purge of employees who had criticized the new ownership, ultimately dismissing two-thirds of the 7,500-strong staff.
In another episode, Musk’s cost-cutting venture, involving the relocation of critical servers from a Sacramento data center with a small team, led to a series of major service outages.
Moreover, Musk’s refusal to collaborate with Bill Gates on charitable endeavours, owing to Gates’ lack of faith in Tesla’s stock market success, serves as a testament to his unyielding determination.
The biography also discloses Musk’s concerns about depopulation and reveals the presence of ten children in his life, including a previously undisclosed child with his on-and-off partner, Grimes. Furthermore, he has fathered twins through sperm donation to Shivon Zilis, an executive at Musk’s company, Neuralink.
Prominent US tech pundit Kara Swisher said the book told the story of a “sad and smart son (who) slowly morphs into the mentally abusive father he abhors.”
“Often right, sometimes wrong, petty jerk always,” Swisher said of Musk’s portrayal in the book.
AFP/APP
