The Man Who Followed Elon Musk Everywhere: "Elon's Dad Abused Him, His Trans Child Disowned Him, And Here Are His Secrets For Success!" Walter Isaacson
Joining the discussion is Walter Isaacson, renowned biographer and journalist known for his works on Steve Jobs and Elon Musk. He shares insights from two years spent shadowing Musk, revealing the complexities of his childhood marked by an abusive father and lasting mental scars. Walter uncovers why Musk equates pain to love and how his chaotic personality fuels his success. They explore Musk’s unique perspective on risk, the drama of his life, and the rivalry with Jeff Bezos, providing a deep dive into what drives this enigmatic leader.
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Elon's Childhood Trauma
Elon Musk experienced a brutal childhood, including being hospitalized after a beating.
His father blamed him, calling him a loser and siding with the bully.
insights INSIGHT
Darkness and Lightness
Disruptive individuals often harness their childhood demons to fuel their drive.
Elon Musk embodies this duality, with his dark side intertwined with his brilliance.
question_answer ANECDOTE
Elon and His Father
Walter Isaacson interviewed both Elon Musk and his estranged father, Errol.
It took a year of traveling with Elon before he opened up about his difficult relationship with his father.
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This biography, based on more than 40 interviews with Steve Jobs and over 100 interviews with family members, friends, adversaries, competitors, and colleagues, provides a riveting story of Jobs' roller-coaster life and intense personality. It highlights his passion for perfection, his ferocious drive, and how he revolutionized six industries: personal computers, animated movies, music, phones, tablet computing, and digital publishing. The book explores Jobs' contradictions, his 'reality distortion field,' and the lessons about innovation, character, leadership, and values that can be drawn from his life and career.
Elon Musk
Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future
Ashlee Vance
This book is an authorized biography that delves into the life of Elon Musk, from his tumultuous childhood in South Africa to his rise as a visionary entrepreneur in Silicon Valley. Ashlee Vance captures Musk's journey through his various ventures, including PayPal, SpaceX, Tesla, and SolarCity. The book examines Musk's unique personality, his insatiable drive, and his ability to thrive through hardship. It also explores the broader context of American innovation and the challenges of global competition, positioning Musk as a contemporary amalgam of legendary inventors and industrialists like Thomas Edison, Henry Ford, and Steve Jobs.
If you ever wanted to see inside the mind of the richest and most powerful man in the world, this episode is for you.
Before becoming the world’s leading biographer, Walter Isaacson was formerly the chair and CEO of ’CNN’, the editor of ’Time’, and President and CEO of the ’Aspen Institute’. His best-selling biographies including, ‘Steve Jobs’, ‘Leonardo da Vinci’, ‘Einstein: His Life and Universe’, and most recently, 'Elon Musk'.
In this conversation Walter and Steven discuss topics, such as:
How he followed Elon Musk for 2 years
Elon Musk’s childhood
Elon’s abusive father
The mental and physical scars of Elon’s childhood
What haunts Elon
Why Elon equates pain with love
The 2 sides and personalities of Elon
Elon’s ‘demon mode’
Why Elon loves drama and chaos
What separates Elon from everyone else
If he thinks Elon is a genius
Elon’s first principle thinking
Why Elon ignores rules and likes risk takers
How 80% of people can’t work with Elon
Why Elon bought Twitter
How Twitter has hurt Elon
Elon’s 3 aims for humanity
Why there will be a mission to Mars in 30 years tim
The Diary Of A CEO with Steven Bartlett 
