Elon Musk

"I would like to die on Mars, just not on impact." - Elon Musk

South African-born Elon Musk is the renowned entrepreneur and innovator behind some of today's most revolutionary companies including PayPal, SpaceX, Tesla, and SolarCity. Elon Musk by Ashlee Vance offers a deep dive into the life of this complex genius who wants to save our planet, colonise Mars, and transform human life through advanced technology—all while making a profit and ensuring the world knows about his ambitions.

With an engaging narrative style, Vance chronicles Musk's journey from a brutally bullied, exceptionally bright boy in apartheid-era South Africa to a man whose technological vision and relentless drive have made him a real-life inspiration for the Iron Man series of films starring Robert Downey Jr. The book meticulously details Musk’s tumultuous upbringing, including the emotional scars left by his father, and his early entrepreneurial ventures that laid the groundwork for his future successes.

At the University of Pennsylvania, Musk demonstrated his entrepreneurial spirit by turning his rented house into a nightclub to pay his way through school. Post-graduation, Musk co-founded Zip2 and later X.com, which eventually morphed into PayPal—an enterprise that eBay acquired for $1.5 billion in 2002. After being ousted as CEO of PayPal, Musk faced a period of uncertainty, but it was during these lost years that he embarked on ventures that would define his legacy: investing in rockets and electric cars, operations that friends and loved ones initially found baffling.

The narrative also doesn't shy away from Musk's personal tribulations. It delves into the dissolution of his marriage and the ways in which his relentless focus on work strained personal relationships. Yet, it is this obsession with groundbreaking technology that has also garnered Musk the title of being the Steve Jobs of our era and beyond.

Over the past year, Vance, a respected tech reporter, shadowed Musk to provide an intimate and insightful portrayal of a man shaping the future of technology. Elon Musk: How the Billionaire CEO of SpaceX and Tesla is Shaping our Future is not just a biography; it's an essential read for anyone interested in the future of technology and space exploration. The book captures the essence of Musk's character, his visionary ideas, and his drive to push humanity forward—mirroring the traits of a modern-day Iron Man.

An important, exciting, and intelligent account, this book thoroughly covers the trials and triumphs of one of the most influential figures of our time. Reading it offers not just the story of Musk's life but a glimpse into the possible future he envisions for humankind.