Eugene Chang on LinkedIn: Eugene's Reading Journal - Elon's Biography A biography of Tesla boss… (2024)

https://lnkd.in/eTxZabWeGillian Tetthas written a brilliant profile of Walter Isaacsonin the #lunchwiththeftfeature article in today's Financial Times(FT Weekend Life 16/17 September 2023 page 3 [sic]). I started reading the article on my phone last night but (being a Luddite at heart) prefer the print edition this morning (with added coffee).The article does a great job of both profiling Isaacson and the subject of his new biography, Elon Musk. For me - as a former Head of Innovation in a large UK Government department - I was interested in Gillian Tett's take on the question "do you have to be half-crazy to be truly innovative?". She also, perceptively, asks "how do you stop a brilliant mind from spinning out of control?"I'd highly recommend reading the article - it's informed by Gillian Tett's anthropology knowledge and brilliantly profiles Musk in a one page feature article:"Musk engages in batch processing - he sequentially processes information and at times he zones out";"Do innovators have to be a psychological mess to have the drive to succeed?";"the other trait many people he's studied also share is a passion for interdisciplinary study."Finally, the biography notes Musk's wild mood swings and deep depressions, describing the intensity of his moods and his obsessive addiction to engineering.Brilliant article - I've ordered the book from my local library and shut down my Twitter/X account: a more humane approach to innovation is advocated in the article by Andrew Ngin MIT Technology Review My vote goes for DeepLearning.AIAI for Good manifesto!

📖 Looking for a short book? Don’t choose the Musk biography.If you want a great one, though, you should give it a try. Reasons why I loved it:😂 Fun story: Elon’s life is as controversial and interesting as anyone🎯 Extreme challenges: electric cars, rockets to Mars, brain interface🖊️ Writing: Isaacson - as with Jobs - makes you feel like you're in the roomOne lesson stuck: brutal simplicity is crucial to innovate at scale. When you read of Musk removing screws from rockets to make them lighter and pieces from Teslas to produce more, it's hard not to think that our products too could be simpler and more ambitious The famous ‘algorithm’ he uses to streamline factories, in particular, is something definitely worth considering to reassess most innovative businesses.Have you already read the book? If so, what do you think of it?

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Elon Musk's secret to success: books.Whenever anyone asks how he learned to build rockets, Musk replies that he read books.In an interview, he talked about the importance of books and how they helped him overcome an existential crisis at the age of 14.According to him, he learned how to ask the 'right' questions and understand the meaning of life by reading.If he figured it out, let’s try as well and start with the books recommended by Elon himself:1. SUPERINTELLIGENCE: Paths, Dangers, Strategies explores AI risks, informing Musk's cautious approach to AI development.(Buy from Amazon: https://shorturl.at/jQwnx)2. STRUCTURES: Or Why Things Don't Fall Down deepens his engineering knowledge, aiding in SpaceX's and Tesla's innovations.(Buy from Amazon: https://shorturl.at/Lh9Sx)3. Zero to One offers entrepreneurial wisdom, guiding Musk in building groundbreaking companies.(Buy from Amazon: https://shorturl.at/sFgfR)4. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy provides humor and philosophical insights, inspiring creative thinking.(Buy from Amazon: https://shorturl.at/xpSHw)I love to read.When I came across his book recommendations, it was an opportunity to get into Elon's mind and see how he looks at the world.I am curious that way.If I paid you to read these books, how much time would you require to finish them?#zeetalks #elonmusk #books

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INVENTORS and PRODUCT DEVELOPERS!See below for a neat summary for the March playlist from L. Edgar Gonzalez Allegre, M.A. Got to remember, the learning never stops!Let's Invent!

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𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟒 ( 𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝟏 𝐨𝐟 𝟐𝟒) - 𝗘𝗟𝗢𝗡 𝗠𝗨𝗦𝗞 𝗕𝗜𝗢𝗚𝗥𝗔𝗣𝗛𝗬 This is my second Elon Musk’s biography. I enjoyed this one better. Walter Isaacson is one of my favorite biography writers, I read Steve Job biography which was also written by him. For me, Elon Musk is someone from the other planet. Maybe his consciousness is from Mars, that’s why he has this calling bringing human kind to that planet and to live there. He is a dreamer or bit crazy, if he’s not, I don’t think he could build the rocket at private capacity and even excel the government’s accomplishment. Elon said “You can’t expect me to the normal dude.” So true, not ordinary person could achieve at his level not only with spaceship, the first EV, many other first-of-its-kind of ventures. • His leadership style is tyranny and toxic, yet so empowering and motivating to build a marvel troop, who have been closely working with him to the almost impossible far-aching goal.• Engineering is his root, all the things that he built he’s knowing it inside out which enable him to really drill down to the root cause of all problems. He is the advocate of First Principle, get down to the very fundamental.• Every single task or responsibility must have a name to be attached with it, there must be someone is accountable to it.• “Delete, delete, delete” – question to any requirements. Do not always comply without questioning and reduce the unnecessary.• “If conventional thinking makes your mission impossible, then unconventional thinking is necessary.”• “The Algorithm” is the mantra at Tesla or SpaceX which the lessons he learnt from Nevada and Fremont factories. Must go and read this, so profound yet funny. One of them - “When hiring, look for people with the right attitude. Skills can be taught. Attitude changes require a brain transplant.”• He is so into strategy online game. Guess it somehow shape him into different structure of his mind and ways of doing business.• He has no empathy and he admitted about it. Those who worked for him either love him or hate him. You will have a good peek of his personal life, childhood, romance and so. “To anyone I’ve offended, I just want to say, I reinvented electric cars and I ‘m sending people to Mars in a rocket ship. Did you think I was also going to be a chill, normal dude?” Elon said at Saturday Night Live Interview. There are so much more in the biography. It’s a fun read like story book, though it did take long time to finish the book. #bookchallenge#bookchallenge2024#shirleysyleong

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I recently finished the newest biography by @WalterIsaacson on @elonmusk . I enjoyed the book, like all the others, by Isaacson.As an entrepreneur, I understand the importance of learning from others’ experiences.This book has valuable lessons to be learned about building successful companies while maintaining a fulfilling life. However, I also recognize the risks and potential pitfalls of this path.So, I would like to simplify these lessons and guide you on avoiding the negative consequences described in the book.First off, the story of Elon Musk is an extreme case of someone who is driven in every sense of the word. Meaning, he possesses the genetic traits of the driven. Hyper-focused, implusive, and risk-taking.DRIVEN: As Douglass Brackmann describes in Driven, there's self-sabotaging traits that come along with being a driven entrepreneur and Elon is no different. Isaacson describes bouts of intense focus and work where all personal relationships get ignored.For example, in one section of the book, his team took over a data center and moved 700 servers in a few days. The company never moved more then 30 before that, and they were "experts." This is probably the smallest example in the book. Elon continues to defy odds with SpaceX and Tesla. He's always taking risks and pushing the boundaries of what other people think is possible.FIRST PRINCIPLES: In the book, there are many stories of Elon pushing his teams to think in "first principles" and if something doesn't defy the laws of physics, it's possible.Here are 5 points of first principles thinking:1. Question every requirement2. Delete any part of the process you can3. Simplify and optimize4. Acclerate cycles 5. Automate (but not too much)With the added thinking of constant iteration and learning quickly.Elon gets his hands dirty and dives in to do the work. It's clear he doesn't ask anyone to do anything he's not willing to do himself.He also hasn't achieved what he has without great people. He has great teams that are loyal to him and consistently rise to the occasion.ROCKET FUEL: Speaking of his team, he's had his brother Kimball, @Gwynne_Shotwell as his second-in-command in a lot of ways. In EOS language, Elon is a clear Visionary and he seems to always have an Integrator close by. There are many stories where Kimball or Gwynne help keep the wheels on the bus and manage the human energy around Elon to keep everyone rowing in the same direction.Overall, there are many lessons to be learned for entrepreneurs in this book. You'll read about the wake of destruction that can be left when pursuing a vision. At the same time, you'll see the absolute magic and enduring impact a focused entrepreneur can be.I have a new found respect for Tesla, SpaceX, X, and Elon Musk. I'd bet on @elonmusk to make a dent in the universe any day of the week (and to have another 10+ children in the process).

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“I was raised by books. Books, and then my parents,” says Elon Musk.He used to read books for 10 hours a day as a kid. He not only reads them; he devours them. And he always advises people to read books.20 books recommended by him:1. Issac Asimov's Foundation Series2) Benjamin Franklin by issac walterson3) Superintelligence by Nick Bostrom4) Life 3.0 by Max Tegmark5) The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien6) Human Compatible by Stuart Russell7) The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Series by Douglas Adams8) Our Final Invention by James Barrat9) Zero to One by Peter Thiel10) Merchants of Doubt by Naomi Oreskes and Erik M. Conway11) Deep Learning (Adaptive Computation and Machine Learning series) by Ian Goodfellow, Yoshua Bengio and Aaron Courville12) Tesla: Inventor of the Electrical Age by W. Bernard Carlson13) Culture by Iain M. Banks14) The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress by Robert A. Heinlein15) Isaac Asimov's Robot Series16) The Art of War by Sun Tzu17) Structures by J. E. Gordon18) The Parasitic Mind: How Infectious Ideas Are Killing Common Sense by GadSaad19) The Story of Civilization by Will and Ariel Durant20) The Capitalist Manifesto by johanknorberg.

one book can create the amount of value equivalent to 100 friends.

9 Books Elon Musk Thinks Everyone Should Read:When he's not launching rockets, drilling beneath the streets of Los Angeles, or propelling vehicles beyond our atmosphere, Elon Musk spends considerable time reading.Here are 9 non-fiction books recommended by Musk that he believes everyone should dive into.1. Human Compatible by Stuart Russell.Human Compatible explains why the creation of artificial intelligence could be humanity’s final act, a topic that Musk has been very vocal about.2. Zero to One by Peter Thiel with Blake Masters.Zero to One explores how companies can better predict the future and take action to ensure that their startup is a success.3. Merchants of Doubt by Naomi Oreskes & Erik M. Conway.This book examines some of the world’s foremost scientific debates on the environment, smoking, and nuclear weapons4. Life 3.0 by Max TegmarkIn this work, MIT professor Max Tegmark writes about keeping artificial intelligence beneficial for human life and ensuring technological progress remains aligned with humanity’s goals for the future5. The Big Picture by Sean M. CarrollThe Big Picture is an ambitious look at the world as we know it and how we can use scientific thinking to make sense of most of it.6. Lying by Sam HarrisLying explains why the act of telling lies is so dangerous. And that means all lies, from the tiny lies that people tell on a daily basis to the massive lies sometimes told on the world stage.7. Superintelligence by Nick BostromThe book in Elon Musk’s reading list makes a daring inquiry into what would happen if computational intelligence surpassed human intelligence8. The Wealth of Nations by Adam Smithprofoundly influential work in the realm of economics. It is a profoundly influential work in the study of economics and examines precisely how nations become wealthy.9. Radical Candor by Kim ScottHe is a fan of the feedback loop, stating in an interview that, “it’s very important to have a feedback loop, where you’re constantly thinking about what you’ve done and how you could be doing it better.”#mhsdigitals #seoexpert

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Learn more Elon Musk's life on how he built Space X, Tesla, The Boring Company, X (aka Twitter), and Neuralink, in this best seller book by Walter Isaacson.Listen to this book for free on Audible: https://amzn.to/48lkvxn