Elon Musk

 
　　馬斯克在南非的童年時期，飽受同儕的肢體霸凌，但相較於這些暴力帶來的身體傷痕，他的父親帶給他的情緒傷害更為深刻。馬斯克在父親的影響下，成為堅強卻又脆弱、孩子氣的男人──他的情緒經常擺盪在兩個極端之間、對於風險擁有異於常人的接受度、熱愛戲劇化的場面，同時胸懷壯志，他對感興趣的事物的狂熱投入程度，不但對他人來說冷酷無情，有時甚至深具毀滅性。
 
　　2022年初，在SpaceX發射31架火箭的一年之後，特斯拉賣出了一百萬台電動車，馬斯克也因此登上全球首富寶座。回顧這些年，他對自己容易衝動製造戲劇性事件感到懊悔：「我需要改變我的心態，從持續了差不多十四年──或者說幾乎是我大部分人生──的危機模式中轉換出來。」然而在說出這段傷感新年發言的同時，他也正私下收購推特股份。這些年來，當他感覺脆弱無措、孤立無援，他的內心便會重新回到童年時期，再次成為那座遊樂場裡，遭受肢體攻擊的孩子。而如今，他終於有機會擁有屬於他的遊樂場……。
 
　　華特．艾薩克森貼身採訪馬斯克長達兩年，參與他的會議、與他一同進入工廠，並訪問其家人、友人、同事與對手們。本書揭露了這位狂人背後高潮迭起、充滿勝利與混亂的故事，更進一步探討眾人心中的疑問：驅動馬斯克的心魔，也是帶來創新和進步的必要條件嗎？(文/博客來編譯)

The #1 New York Times and global bestseller from Walter Isaacson--the acclaimed author of Steve Jobs, Einstein: His Life and World, Benjamin Franklin, and Leonardo da Vinci--is the astonishingly intimate story of the most fascinating, controversial innovator of modern times. For two years, Isaacson shadowed Elon Musk as he executed his vision for electric vehicles at Tesla, space exploration with SpaceX, the AI revolution, and the takeover of Twitter and its conversion to X. The result is the definitive portrait of the mercurial pioneer that offers clues to his political instincts, future ambitions, and overall worldview.

When Elon Musk was a kid in South Africa, he was regularly beaten by bullies. One day a group pushed him down some concrete steps and kicked him until his face was a swollen ball of flesh. He was in the hospital for a week. But the physical scars were minor compared to the emotional ones inflicted by his father, an engineer, rogue, and charismatic fantasist.

His father’s impact on his psyche would linger. He developed into a tough yet vulnerable man-child, prone to abrupt Jekyll-and-Hyde mood swings, with an exceedingly high tolerance for risk, a craving for drama, an epic sense of mission, and a maniacal intensity that was callous and at times destructive.

At the beginning of 2022--after a year marked by SpaceX launching thirty-one rockets into orbit, Tesla selling a million cars, and him becoming the richest man on earth--Musk spoke ruefully about his compulsion to stir up dramas. ＂I need to shift my mindset away from being in crisis mode, which it has been for about fourteen years now, or arguably most of my life,＂ he said.

It was a wistful comment, not a New Year’s resolution. Even as he said it, he was secretly buying up shares of Twitter, the world’s ultimate playground. Over the years, whenever he was in a dark place, his mind went back to being bullied on the playground. Now he had the chance to own the playground.

For two years, Isaacson shadowed Musk, attended his meetings, walked his factories with him, and spent hours interviewing him, his family, friends, coworkers, and adversaries. The result is the revealing inside story, filled with amazing tales of triumphs and turmoil, that addresses the question: are the demons that drive Musk also what it takes to drive innovation and progress?

Walter Isaacson is the bestselling author of biographies of Jennifer Doudna, Leonardo da Vinci, Steve Jobs, Benjamin Franklin, and Albert Einstein. He is a professor of history at Tulane and was CEO of the Aspen Institute, chair of CNN, and editor of Time. He was awarded the National Humanities Medal in 2023. Visit him at Isaacson.Tulane.edu.