Elon Musk

Reviews / Votes

'Its portrait of the tech maverick is fascinating. . . a persuasive mixture of alarm and deep admiration' * Daily Telegraph * '[Isaacson] has done something amazing with the Musk biography which is to write a 688-page quick read' * Financial Times * 'Whatever you think of Mr Musk, he is a man worth understanding - which makes this a book worth reading' * The Economist * 'A penetrating new biography' * Daily Mail * 'A beat-by-beat book that follows the tycoon inside important rooms, as well as exploring obscure regions of his mind' * The Times * 'A comprehensive, deeply reported chronicle of the world-shaping tech mogul's life' * Politico * 'An experienced biographer's comprehensive study' * Observer * 'He forms his own conclusions, which are mostly admirably balanced and mature. . . Isaacson, in his quest for a comprehensive audit of the Musk phenomenon, errs slightly on the side of the voyeur in these encounters, but I can't blame him. It's quite the spectacle' * Independent * 'The book contains a series of illuminating anecdotes about Musk' * Guardian * 'Isaacson offers both an engaging chronicle of his subject's busy life so far and some compelling answers' * Wall Street Journal * 'The most complete profile of Musk yet' * Time Magazine * 'There's not much middle ground on Musk - people love him or hate him - but Isaacson is best positioned to figure out what makes him tick' * Los Angeles Times * 'The resulting book delves deep into the billionaire's demons, including childhood bullies and a difficult father, and interrogates their relationship to his success' * New York Times * 'Isaacson deftly handles complicated matters like the development of electric vehicles, rockets and artificial intelligence while also deeply exploring Musk's background and family' * AP News * 'This fast-paced biography. . . [is] a head-spinning tale about a vain, brilliant, sometimes cruel figure whose ambitions are actively shaping the future of human life' -- Ron Charles * CBS Sunday Morning * 'Everything you'd expect from a book on Musk. . . While the stories are fascinating and guaranteed to spark a mountain of coverage, founders and entrepreneurs will also unearth valuable lessons' * Inc. * 'The book is bursting with stories. . . A deeply engrossing tale of a spectacular American innovator' * New York Journal of Books * 'Walter Isaacson's intimate account of a tech titan' * TLS * 'this biography of Elon Musk is still fascinating. How could it not be? . . . He has spoken to practically everybody' * Evening Standard * 'a highly readable portrait of a very unusual personality. . . It is a considerable achievement on Isaacson's part to have persuaded this reviewer. . . to adopt a more sympathetic view of Musk and set aside much of the familiar media caricature of him.' * Literary Review * 'Described by the FT as a "688-page quick read" for the TikTok generation, Isaacson's biography of the South African entrepreneur races along at bone-rattling speed. That certainly makes for an entertaining exploration of Musk the celebrity' * Financial Times, Technology * 'From its cover... to its size (nearly 700 pages), this account of the world's highest profile technology entrepreneur shouts importance... Isaacson does a good job of illustrating the crazy genius of his multiple projects' * Financial Times, Business * '[There are] few biographers who have had so much access to powerful people as Walter Isaacson. So his biography Elon Musk is a must-read. . . in my view, it is the details about his attitude towards artificial intelligence at Tesla, or his dealings with the Ukrainian government, which are most fascinating. Whatever you think of Musk, [this is] an illuminating book that forces us to confront a crucial question: are innovators always half-mad?' -- Gillian Tett * Financial Times * 'This biography, written with his approval, follows him from his dweebish, unhappy childhood to Twitter trolling adulthood' * The Times, Books of the Year * 'Isaacson, a highly respected biographer, does an excellent job in tying him down. Musk cooperated in its writing, but it's no hagiography, delving into dark family secrets, exposing Musk's anti-social nature, his addiction to drama and risk, his tendency to, in the words of his ex-wife, go "king-crazy"' * Daily Mail, Biographies of the Year * 'Its portrait of the tech maverick is fascinating. . . a persuasive mixture of alarm and deep admiration' * Daily Telegraph * '[Isaacson] has done something amazing with the Musk biography which is to write a 688-page quick read' * Financial Times * 'Whatever you think of Mr Musk, he is a man worth understanding - which makes this a book worth reading' * The Economist * 'A penetrating new biography' * Daily Mail * 'A beat-by-beat book that follows the tycoon inside important rooms, as well as exploring obscure regions of his mind' * The Times * 'A comprehensive, deeply reported chronicle of the world-shaping tech mogul's life' * Politico * 'An experienced biographer's comprehensive study' * Observer * 'He forms his own conclusions, which are mostly admirably balanced and mature. . . Isaacson, in his quest for a comprehensive audit of the Musk phenomenon, errs slightly on the side of the voyeur in these encounters, but I can't blame him. It's quite the spectacle' * Independent * 'The book contains a series of illuminating anecdotes about Musk' * Guardian * 'Isaacson offers both an engaging chronicle of his subject's busy life so far and some compelling answers' * Wall Street Journal * 'The most complete profile of Musk yet' * Time Magazine * 'There's not much middle ground on Musk - people love him or hate him - but Isaacson is best positioned to figure out what makes him tick' * Los Angeles Times * 'The resulting book delves deep into the billionaire's demons, including childhood bullies and a difficult father, and interrogates their relationship to his success' * New York Times * 'Isaacson deftly handles complicated matters like the development of electric vehicles, rockets and artificial intelligence while also deeply exploring Musk's background and family' * AP News * 'This fast-paced biography. . . [is] a head-spinning tale about a vain, brilliant, sometimes cruel figure whose ambitions are actively shaping the future of human life' -- Ron Charles * CBS Sunday Morning * 'Everything you'd expect from a book on Musk. . . While the stories are fascinating and guaranteed to spark a mountain of coverage, founders and entrepreneurs will also unearth valuable lessons' * Inc. * 'The book is bursting with stories. . . A deeply engrossing tale of a spectacular American innovator' * New York Journal of Books * 'Walter Isaacson's intimate account of a tech titan' * TLS * 'this biography of Elon Musk is still fascinating. How could it not be? . . . He has spoken to practically everybody' * Evening Standard * 'a highly readable portrait of a very unusual personality. . . It is a considerable achievement on Isaacson's part to have persuaded this reviewer. . . to adopt a more sympathetic view of Musk and set aside much of the familiar media caricature of him.' * Literary Review * 'Described by the FT as a "688-page quick read" for the TikTok generation, Isaacson's biography of the South African entrepreneur races along at bone-rattling speed. That certainly makes for an entertaining exploration of Musk the celebrity' * Financial Times, Technology * 'From its cover... to its size (nearly 700 pages), this account of the world's highest profile technology entrepreneur shouts importance... Isaacson does a good job of illustrating the crazy genius of his multiple projects' * Financial Times, Business * '[There are] few biographers who have had so much access to powerful people as Walter Isaacson. So his biography Elon Musk is a must-read. . . in my view, it is the details about his attitude towards artificial intelligence at Tesla, or his dealings with the Ukrainian government, which are most fascinating. Whatever you think of Musk, [this is] an illuminating book that forces us to confront a crucial question: are innovators always half-mad?' -- Gillian Tett * Financial Times * 'This biography, written with his approval, follows him from his dweebish, unhappy childhood to Twitter trolling adulthood' * The Times, Books of the Year * 'Isaacson, a highly respected biographer, does an excellent job in tying him down. Musk cooperated in its writing, but it's no hagiography, delving into dark family secrets, exposing Musk's anti-social nature, his addiction to drama and risk, his tendency to, in the words of his ex-wife, go "king-crazy"' * Daily Mail, Biographies of the Year *