by 
SpaceX and Tesla are two very well known brands and for a good reason. Elon Musk challenged the market and went for 2 areas that were considered “impossible to be profitable” and proved everyone wrong. One of them in a very established market (automobiles) and revolutionized a difficult market to enter. Nowadays, Tesla trades at an enormous valuation and has gathered fans around the world.
Book premise
The book centers around the person behind these companies. Many call Elon Musk a “genius,” a label thrown around a lot nowadays. in his case, well deserved. But where does this “genius” comes from? Starting in South Africa, his birth country, we follow his journey from a young adult into founding Paypal. He sold one of the world’s biggest payment services and bet on businesses that were “doomed to fail,” as some said at the time.
Why did I like it?
I like to understand how these disruptors think and where they come from. Genius and opportunity cannot be replicated since they lived differently and were raised differently from us. But there are things that we can learn, especially from his mistakes. Take his voracious reading when he was young, to his founding of Paypal, a site well ahead of his time. Not happy with it, he sold it to “bet” in making a car company (in a time that many electric car companies tried and failed). These bets are usually considered a “visionary,” and I’m saying he’s not. Still, most of the time, it’s the implementation, the focus on the customer and community, and making people believe that something impossible is not only possible but achievable.
It’s not all roses. In the book, you read about his struggles growing up, relationships, hard times with co-workers and subordinates, and more. These are the lessons to learn and not repeat.
Finally, I’m not a big fan of biographies. But this book doesn’t present itself that way. It shows his upbringing and the factors that contributed to his success. It doesn’t dwell on what happened.
Where you can find it
You can find this book on its official author’s page below.
Want more? Check my other books’ suggestions.
Disclaimer
I have no affiliation with this brand or person (people), and the views here are my own. I didn’t have any bad experiences, but if you do, please know that this is a recommendation, and you’re always free to make decisions by yourself before buying something.
