2015, the first biography of Elon Musk by Ashlee Vance was published. I first discovered it during a business trip to China, in one of the markets. In the years since, the man has fascinated me. I read the book with great interest and my impression of his personality has only intensified.

In 2023, another biography of Musk was published, this one written by Walter Isaacson. The author – a journalist and a Jew – is extremely talented. He has also written biographies of Steve Jobs, Albert Einstein, and Leonardo da Vinci. The uniqueness of writing is its very linear, simple style. He describes each of Musk’s launches in detail, including the characters, events, and complex business intersections. The book is a kind of kaleidoscope with small chapters on the “what” and the “how” of events in Musk’s life, from his childhood to today. The man has sold over million cars, around the world, and significantly advanced the entire subject of electric cars and their importance, succeeded in commercializing space flight, while emphasizing the human view of the universe, purchased Twitter, (now “X”), and promotes artificial intelligence for the benefit of humanity.

The business-like description in the previous paragraph is not intended to emphasize the power of his entrepreneurship and wealth, although Musk is considered the richest man in the world today, but to highlight his vision and his perspective about why the aforementioned business intersections occurred.

Musk…. “spoke about the need to nurture the flame of human consciousness, with a sense of purpose.” He developed a sense of purpose. “We need things that inspire the world. That is what can give us a reason to get up in the morning.”

From the heights that outline Musk’s perception, vocation and actions, the author of the biography seemingly disassembles the structure of his subject’s personality: a layer about the distinctiveness of his personality, about his importance, his interactions with those around him – parents and siblings, partners, children, friends and the businesspeople close to him – these are the most fascinating passages in the book.

The man “Elon Musk” gives us pause; he is a very positive person, but his complexity repeatedly poses an obstacle. Despite this – he cuts one new path after another, struggles hard and… succeeds. Musk is a brilliant man and sparks of genius promote his creation. In early childhood, his mother asked him to enroll him in kindergarten at an age younger than usual, emphasizing that it was insufficient for a child to talk only to her. She noticed his intelligence and insights very early.

It is important to emphasize that Musk’s personality consists of “light and darkness,” in the author’s words, but that he is entirely motivated by creating benefit for humanity. The last sentence is not intended as verbal decoration. After reading two biographies of Elon Musk, I have no doubt that Walter Isaacson’s emphasis is not his subjective impression. This is the man, Elon Musk.

That talent is built of diverse talents – from the ability to look from above and see what is right and good for humanity from a perspective that looks many years into the future, for the sake of humanity’s optimal existence to determination that successfully overcomes difficulties and blows that could topple it, while still seeing the goal as the main thing. Pay attention dear readers – when business partners defraud his ventures (more than once), Musk overcomes the bitter pain and invites them to lunch in order to continue flowing, initiating, and creating, rather than not burn his soul with hatred and conflict. Highly admirable behavior! The principle remains at the center, not the ego lapses.

A very complicated, if not difficult, childhood, and genetic difficulties. Demons beating him time and time again – a magnet for drama, in the guise of a compulsive urge to provoke drama. Reading the book makes Musk’s life so real that I can imagine that the reader also feels the rollercoaster of this wonderful man. “I was born for the storm,” “The distress shaped me,” he explains, and “my pain threshold became very high.” These quotations are supported by the statement one of his wives and the mother of three of his children: “I think he was conditioned in childhood to believe that life is pain.” This sentence is extremely moving and evokes empathy.

The author illuminates the place of artificial intelligence in Musk’s work. Early in his career, he was part of the group that developed the subject, and when he realized that the group’s path was ultimately in the service of the “bottom line,” Musk left and opened, in March 2023, a separate company to develop artificial intelligence, xAI. If you check the company’s credo, you’ll understand the reasons why he left the former group and his vision for AI development. Musk’s chatbot, GROK, will not only answer any question, it may even suggest which questions are right to ask. Musk emphasizes ensuring that AI makes only positive contributions, in the service of humanity.

“AI tools that are useful to people of all backgrounds & political views.”

…..….

“We believe our utmost to ensure that AI remains a force for good.”

The motto begins book is taken from Elon Musk’s 2021 apology: “To anyone I’ve offended,  I just want to say, I reinvented the electric car, and I’m sending people to Mars in a rocket ship. Did you think I was going to be a chill, normal dude?”

Beneath this, the author adds a second thought that accompanies the entire book, from Steve Jobs: “The people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do.”

In order to understand paths in Elon Musk’s thinking, I would like to end with this quote about his childhood:

“Fortunately, he was saved by science fiction, that wellspring of inexhaustible wisdom for game-playing children with intellect on hyperdrive. He plowed through the entire sci-fi section in his school and local libraries, then pushed the librarians to order more.

One of his favorites was Robert Heinlein’s The Moon is a Harsh Mistress, a novel about a lunar penal colony. It is managed by a supercomputer, nicknamed Mike, that is able to acquire self-awareness and a sense of humor. The computer sacrifices its life during a rebellion in the penal colony. The book explores an issue that would become central to Musk’s life: Will artificial intelligence develop in ways that will benefit and protect humanity, or will machines develop intentions of their own and become a threat to humans?” (pp. 30-31).

In Hebrew: www.kinbooks.co.il; www.matarbooks.co.il

In English: https://www.simonandschuster https://www.simonandschuster.co.uk/books/Elon-Musk/Walter-Isaacson/9781398527492