What drives Elon Musk to grow bigger? Walter Isaacson sheds light
Elon Musk's biography brings his personal and professional life to the forefront. Here are four things that makes Musk stand out from other business giants.
Two years is a fairly long time to understand a person, how they think, what they believe in, and what motivates them. So, when Walter Isaacson had the opportunity to engage closely with Elon Musk for his biography, he delved deeper into Musk's personal and professional life and, most importantly, shed light on the factors that motivate the tech giant to grow bigger. (Also Read: Vladimir Putin's praise for Elon Musk with a jab: ‘Outstanding person as…’)
Here are four things that makes Elon Musk stand out as a business man:
1. Walter Isaacson on Musk's enraging qualities:
Isaacson told CNBC’s 'Squawk Box' that Musk is known for making controversial statements on X (formerly Twitter). However, this “reckless streak” of comments does not separate Musk from his genius of innovation at companies like Tesla and SpaceX.
"He has these enraging qualities, these drives, and these demons, but if you pull those out, you don't have the impulsive character that sets things off," said Isaacson to CNBC.
Musk's willingness to take risks and express his thoughts has helped him become the world's richest person and one of the world's most powerful entrepreneurs. Isaacson further said, "If you don’t have the whole cloth of Elon Musk, you’re not going to get the innovation.” (Also Read: Elon Musk’s brother Kimbal Musk once bit flesh off his hand, biography reveals)
2. Troubled tycoon driven by inner demons
Isaacson shares that every person has some demons to face, but Musk has "two orders of magnitude more than most of us." The author told The New York Times that Musk has been able to harness his demons into drive.
The tech giant's three main motivations include: taking humans to Mars, building an era of electric vehicles, and making sure that AI is safe.
"These are three grand missions that I thought were just him spouting off, but he really gets motivated by that. He also just so craves excitement, drama, and risk that whenever things are going well, he can’t leave well enough alone or savor it," Isaacson told The New York Times.
3. Does money motivate Musk?
The author informed CNBC that Musk did not buy Twitter for money. Isaacson says, "If he wanted to make money he wouldn't have bought Twitter, he wouldn't have sent rockets to Mars, he probably wouldn't do electric vehicles. There are a lot of things that motivate him but money isn't number one."
4. Musk's view on empathy:
According to Isaacson, Musk's personality does not include deference, empathy, restraint, the ability to collaborate, the inclination to consider how his words affect others around him, doting on his children, and vacations, reports VOX.
“He didn’t have the emotional receptors that produce everyday kindness and warmth and a desire to be liked. He was not hardwired to have empathy,” shares Isaacson. (Also Read: Elon Musk's X a ‘habitual non-compliant platform’, not following orders: Government)
More about Elon Musk's biography:
The biography, titled Elon Musk by Walter Isaacson, explores the mind of Musk. Isaacson was not only able to map the personal life of Elon Musk, but he also talked about the businessman's relationship with his father, his children, and his former partners.
Along with mapping his personal thoughts, the biography also explores his political views, his take on business and money, and the things that truly motivate him.