Interesting book about a very controversial figure. It is interesting to see what has shaped the character of the man who has changed technology in so many different areas.

An interesting account of a deeply odd man - now a little out of date unfortunately as he continues to try to take over the world!

I requested this book when I was feeling a little more generous to Musk, but my feelings have changed, of late.

I struggled with the long chapters but I did think it was written really well and I enjoyed the story a lot. I would definitely recommend this book!

A nice in depth dive into the mind of musk. A enjoyed the way in which the authored pushed for him in the book and also learn more about his earlier years.

You realise throughout the book how totally nuts the man really is but how truly fascinating and amazing his companies are.

If I was to have one criticism it would be that it was very much on the positive side, he is clearly an idol of the author and so it felt a little on sided

I have not yet read Steve Jobs or Jeff Bezos’s biographies but they're on my to-read shelf. I had heard of Elon Musk before creating a PayPal account to use on eBay. The book explores his life, vision for Tesla, SpaceX as well as working 16+ hours a day and without any breaks or holidays. Musk has put all of his saving into every project he has backed whether it be PayPal, Tesla, SpaceX but never lost faith in anything he has accomplished even if they were facing bankruptcy. Please do check out this book where we the readers will get a glimpse of the real Tony Stark aka Iron-Man who will stop at nothing to change the world for better and the sacrifices he made along the way to his success.

This is a good biography a life in the day of Elon Musk where we the readers will get a chance to look into his life as a child to PayPal which he sold for $1.5M, Tesla, SpaceX lastly being compared to an actual/real Tony Stark. Thank you, NetGalley /publishers, for sharking this book on your website in exchange for an honest review. Last those of you haven’t read this book please grab a copy to look into the world of Elon Musk.

I requested this as someone who was intrigued by Elon Musk's technological advances but concerned by his personal choices. This book instead took me through his life, his upbringing both good and bad, rather than just his modern achievements. I'm not sure how balanced it is, but it's a great read on him, Silicon Valley, and entrepreneurship. Fascinating.

I originally requested this book as I was fascinated by Musk's success. Unfortunately since then, I learned several things about him that really turned me off so I found this book difficult to read and made very slow progress with it. That said, it is well written and an interesting account of a public figure. Thanks NetGalley!

I really enjoyed this book, which spans Elon's life up until the present day. I expected it to be a narration of all of his amazing accomplishments but it's just as much about his challenges, upbringing and setbacks, as well as the sacrifices he has made along the way. Well-researched, well-written and balanced.

When I originally requested this book I had a much more favourable view of Musk than I do now, so take my review with a pinch of salt. I found this biography a slog to get through, and honestly, I was bored most of the time. It was interesting to learn more about Tesla and Musk's other businesses, as those are what attracted me to the book in the first place, but it didn't make up for the tediousness of the reading.

i didn't know I wanted to read about Elon Musk until I read this book. I recommend reading it conduction with Bad Blood for the weird underside of Silicon Valley.

I have always been fascinated by Elon Musk on a superficial level level based on snippets that I have read in the media over the years. During that time, I have never found the time to gain a better insight into the person, his achievements and aspirations until I picked up this book. Ashlee Vance has taken the reader on a journey through Musk's life which I found difficult to put down at times. Whether this information has been easy to find elsewhere, I leave other to decide. For me, the author has produced an interesting picture of a visionary entrepreneur who may also be flawed in some ways but has the energy and perseverance to make his dreams come true.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is a great insight into the life of Elon Musk.
The way he runs a business and the drive to see things through.
Absolutely fascinating.
The only thing stopping it getting 5 stars was some of the writing was very idolatry.

I didn't know a vast amount about Elon Musk before I read this but with him so frequently in the news I was interested to learn more. I certainly have done this, though it's not the most compelling of reads.

Thank you to the publishers for providing an ARC of this book through NetGalley.

I’ve found this topic interesting for years, primarily after doing a bit of research into the Tesla shops a few years ago. Musk is an incredible individual and I was interested in learning more about him.

However, this biography was incredibly tedious. I was bored within the first 5% and the rest was just a slog. A lot of this book felt contrived and I feel like it was just an excuse for the author to gush about how much he adores Musk.

This book got me captivated from the first page. Ashlee takes us into the world of Elon and what makes him tick. Reading this biography, it is easy to see why Elon can be misunderstood and where he gets his drive from.

He is not portrayed as an angel. However, you can see how he is able to think outside the box and constantly reinvent his businesses.

In a lot of ways, he is relatable and yet he is in a world of is own that is impacting the world around him.

Reading this book will help you learn how he had made sure his businesses have been invaluable in some way.

There is just so much I can write about what I learned from this book but I don’t want to give anything away.

A really interesting read, great insight into a charismatic character, very clear, thoughtfully and well written.

I only really knew about Elon Musk as a pop-culture figure before so I was interested in reading this biography. I’ve learnt more about his work as an inventor and a manufacturer in the fields of solar power, electric cars and space travel and IT, though as always I’m wary of drawing too many conclusions when I’ve only read one book on a subject!

The books gives a comprehensive account of Musk’s life and his work to date (the book was first published in 2015), from the financial company that became Paypal to Tesla, Space X and SolarCity. You learn about his unconventional and talented family and an upbringing that was privileged in some ways and extremely difficult in others. It seems that from an early age he had an exceptional ability to absorb knowledge and to visualise and invent complex processes in his mind. He also has phenomenal energy and determination.

A couple of interesting points stood out. Firstly, that Musk does believe in making things. There’s a quote at the beginning of the book to the effect that the best brains of our generation are spending their days getting us to click ads. Musk wants to create something real and tangible and he has a sense of mission.

The other thing I found interesting is that his businesses develop and manufacture most of their products in-house. For a generation, conventional wisdom has been that it is more efficient to outsource to specialists. This has had disastrous consequences for our public services, where private companies reduce standards and working conditions, pocket profits and leave taxpayers with losses.

Musk has demonstrated that the opposite can be true – that doing work in-house means you keep control of quality, timing and product development. With complex supply chains, there is always someone else to blame when things go wrong (though equally, pay and conditions of his workers do not seem to be a priority for Musk).

Although the book does address criticisms of Musk, it is quite a positive account overall. This doesn’t chime with some of his behaviour, particularly in the light of his recent comments about the divers involved in the Thai cave rescue, which polarised opinion on him.

We seem unable to accept that people can be exceptionally talented in one area and flawed in another. Perhaps it’s time to retire that tired term ‘role model’ and understand people in their complexity.

Embarrassing confession: I'd never heard of Elon Musk when I picked this up, but I do enjoy good biographies and this one wasn't bad. My main criticism is that it really talked more about his businesses than the man himself so I was left feeling that I still didn't really know who he was by the end of the book. Still it was fascinating learning about his unique approach to business and how he's been able to achieve so much.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC without obligation.

I enjoyed this, I liked the authors narrative style and the humour of some of the content. Very interesting book.