I have purchased and am listening to Walter Isaacson’s book about Elon Musk. The book traces Musk’s journey from his childhood in South Africa to his emergence as a Silicon Valley innovator.
Podcasts I listen to have criticized the book claiming Isaacson was too protective of Musk in light of various criticisms of Musk’s behavior. Isaacson is accused of using his own celebrity status to get access to individuals such as Musk (and Steve Jobs) and then going easy on them to encourage future high-profile individuals to allow him to tell their story.
Aside from Musk’s recent Twitter (X) debacle, Musk has been accused of meddling in the Ukraine/Russia war by manipulating Ukraine’s access to the satellites Musk has launched and controls (Ronan Farrow). Musk has been described as being so wealthy he is making decisions that should be reserved for national leaders.
Critics have discouraged the purchase of his book and have directed interested parties to the account of an interview with Isaacson by Kara Swisher in support of this position. I found the interview to be quite informative and decided my purchase was an appropriate decision for the background it provided on Musk’s work, character, and influence.