Power Play
Elon Musk, Tesla, and the Bet of the Century
Published on 5. August 2021
Book
Hardback
400 pages
978-0-7535-5437-1 (ISBN)
Description
Inside the outrageous, come-from-behind story of Elon Musk and Tesla's bid to build the world's greatest car and the race to drive the future.
Elon Musk is among the most controversial titans of Silicon Valley. To some he's a genius and a visionary and to others he's a mercurial huckster. Billions of dollars have been gained and lost on his tweets and his personal exploits are the stuff of tabloids. But for all his outrageous talk of mind-uploading and space travel, his most audacious vision is the one closest to the ground: the electric car.
When Tesla was founded in the 2000s, electric cars were novelties, trotted out and thrown on the scrap heap by carmakers for more than a century. But where most onlookers saw only failure, a small band of Silicon Valley engineers and entrepreneurs saw potential and they pitted themselves against the biggest, fiercest business rivals in the world, setting out to make a car that was quicker, sexier, smoother, cleaner than the competition.
Tesla would undergo a truly hellish fifteen years, beset by rivals, pressured by investors, hobbled by whistleblowers, buoyed by its loyal supporters. Musk himself would often prove Tesla's worst enemy--his antics repeatedly taking the company he had funded himself to the brink of collapse. Was he an underdog, an antihero, a conman, or some combination of the three?
Wall Street Journal tech and auto reporter Tim Higgins had a front-row seat for the drama: the pileups, wrestling for control, meltdowns, and the unlikeliest outcome of all, success. A story of power, recklessness, struggle, and triumph, Power Play is an exhilarating look at how a team of eccentrics and innovators beat the odds... and changed the future.
Elon Musk is among the most controversial titans of Silicon Valley. To some he's a genius and a visionary and to others he's a mercurial huckster. Billions of dollars have been gained and lost on his tweets and his personal exploits are the stuff of tabloids. But for all his outrageous talk of mind-uploading and space travel, his most audacious vision is the one closest to the ground: the electric car.
When Tesla was founded in the 2000s, electric cars were novelties, trotted out and thrown on the scrap heap by carmakers for more than a century. But where most onlookers saw only failure, a small band of Silicon Valley engineers and entrepreneurs saw potential and they pitted themselves against the biggest, fiercest business rivals in the world, setting out to make a car that was quicker, sexier, smoother, cleaner than the competition.
Tesla would undergo a truly hellish fifteen years, beset by rivals, pressured by investors, hobbled by whistleblowers, buoyed by its loyal supporters. Musk himself would often prove Tesla's worst enemy--his antics repeatedly taking the company he had funded himself to the brink of collapse. Was he an underdog, an antihero, a conman, or some combination of the three?
Wall Street Journal tech and auto reporter Tim Higgins had a front-row seat for the drama: the pileups, wrestling for control, meltdowns, and the unlikeliest outcome of all, success. A story of power, recklessness, struggle, and triumph, Power Play is an exhilarating look at how a team of eccentrics and innovators beat the odds... and changed the future.
Reviews / Votes
A masterclass in narrative journalism... with inside-the-room detail and color that give it a cinematic feel * Bradley Hope, co-author of the bestseller BILLION DOLLAR WHALE * Compulsively readable... lively, fun and insightful * William D. Cohan, bestselling author of HOUSE OF CARDS * Tim Higgins's electric narrative takes us through Tesla's every hairpin turn.... [A] case study on the thin line between madness and genius * John Helyar, co-author of the #1 New York Times bestseller BARBARIANS AT THE GATE * 'A deeply reported and business-savvy chronicle of Tesla's wild ride' * Walter Isaacson * Compelling and deeply reported... An exceptional work of business journalism * Washington Post * Simultaneously inspirational and troubling, revealing Elon Musk's risky scrambles to invent the future he's constantly promising to deliver * Sarah Frier, Financial Times prize-winning author of NO FILTER * Readers fascinated by the hype of Tesla history will find a gold mine of facts and foibles in this immersive analysis * Kirkus Reviews * "Exemplary...[Higgins] has interviewed hundreds of people associated with Tesla, both past and present. He knows the financial story like the back of his hand. * The Times * in-depth and well-balanced ... a sometimes appalling, occasionally inspiring, and always entertaining saga * Publishers Weekly * A well-documented and comprehensive look at Tesla, Elon Musk, and the people involved with its creation and successes * Library Journal * [A] sweeping history of the electric-car juggernaut... [Higgins is] right on the button, every time * Los Angeles Times * Tense, detailed and well-crafted... Power Play is a business thriller for real * Associated Press * Outstanding... a deep dive into the nuts and volts of Tesla * Minneapolis Star Tribune * The tale of Tesla's ascent is inherently dramatic and compellingly told * NPR.org * A riveting saga...Power Play reads like a novel * The Free Lance-Star * Eminently readable...A must-read for any fan or critic -- Business InsiderMore details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Ebury Publishing
Target group
College/higher education
Professional and scholarly
Dimensions
Height: 240 mm
Width: 162 mm
Thickness: 36 mm
Weight
629 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-7535-5437-1 (9780753554371)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
TIM HIGGINS is an automotive and technology reporter for the Wall Street Journal. He appears regularly as a contributor on CNBC, his writing has won several awards from the Society for Advancing Business Editing and Writing, and he is a five-time finalist for the Livingston Awards. https://twitter.com/timkhiggins