Elon Musk
Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future
by Ashlee Vance · first published 2013
49% recommend51% neutral
Why HN recommends it
Biography covering the early days of Tesla and SpaceX and the sheer effort behind them; read for lessons on building companies, tackling hard problems, and finding talent. Suits entrepreneurs and space or EV fans.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
In the spirit of Steve Jobs and Moneyball, Elon Musk is both an illuminating and authorized look at the extraordinary life of one of Silicon Valley's most exciting, unpredictable, and ambitious entrepreneurs -- a real-life Tony Stark -- and a fascinating exploration of the renewal of American invention and its new "makers." Elon Musk spotlights the technology and vision of Elon Musk, the renowned entrepreneur and innovator behind SpaceX, Tesla, and SolarCity, who sold one of his Internet companies, PayPal, for $1.5 billion. Ashlee Vance captures the full spectacle and arc of the genius's life
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There are several books I read, still want to increase my reading amount: 1. "Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!", nice bio about Feynman 2. "Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future", inspiring biography and business book. 3. "Apollo" by Catherine Bly Cox. Awesome book about Apollo Programm. Goes even in some technical details.…
on “Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?” ↗…is to listen to biographies and how many lessons there are. 0. Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes Are High, Second Edition 1. The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fable 2. Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future 3. Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance 4. Steve Jobs: The Exclusive Biography 5. What Got You Here Won't Get You There 6. The Power of…
on “Ask HN: Which non-programming books are a beneficial read for programmers?” ↗…shorter read and not super-polarizing (leaves out some of the crazy stuff from early life). Other notable Steve Jobs books I have read & highly recommend: Becoming Steve Jobs & The Steve Jobs Way. 4. Elon Musk (Ashlee Vance) -Another polarizing book. I am a Spacex & Tesla Fan-boy. I picked this up in 2015 the day it was launched! I have read this at least half a dozen times by now. Hard-work, perseverance…
on “Ask HN: Books you wish you had read earlier?” ↗I had asked a question[0] regarding books a few months ago which ended up in the following list[1]. From those so far I have read the following: - Elon Musk: Inventing the Future - Ashlee Vance Totally worth to get insight into the Elon. Kinda changes the superhero/good guy image everyone has but you end up with more respect for him whatsoever. - Thinking…
on “Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?” ↗I just finished the Elon Musk biography — there's a good discussion about how Tesla was founded on the premise that the market did not yet recognize how cheap lithium ion batteries had become. The original prototypes involved connecting…
on “How automakers can drive electrified vehicle sales and profitability” ↗I read a few dozens each year. These are the top in my 2016 list. * Zero to One: Notes on Startups, or How to Build the Future. If you can read only one book on startup this year, read this book. * Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future. * Running Lean: Iterate from Plan A to a Plan That Works. * Alibaba's World: How a Remarkable Chinese Company is Changing the Face of Global Business.…
on “Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?” ↗I'm reading his autobiography right now. Fascinating life of both the man and his companies if you are interested: https://www.amazon.com/Elon-Musk-SpaceX-Fantastic-Future/dp/...
on “SpaceX successfully launches and recovers second Falcon 9 in 48 hours” ↗You might enjoy "Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future"[0] [0] - https://www.amazon.com/Elon-Musk-SpaceX-Fantastic-Future/dp/...
on “Ask HN: Recommendations on books and documentaries on tech companies/people?” ↗…great books have already been mentioned but those which were the most personally influential which haven't yet been mentioned: - Total Recall: My Unbelievably True Life Story by Arnold Schwarzenegger - Elon Musk by Ashlee Vance - Bad Blood by John Carreyrou - Kochland by Christopher Leonard - Masters of Doom by David Kushner I read a lot of "business consultant" books and began to be annoyed with them since…
on “Ask HN: Best books you read in the past decade?” ↗My 5 favorite ones I read this year In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex by Nathaniel Philbrick Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future by Ashlee Vance To the Last Man: A Novel of the First World War by Jeff Shaara Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania by Erik Larson…
on “Ask HN: Best Book you read in 2015” ↗Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future. Yes everyone is an Elon fan already, but the book offers a great inside look into how he thinks and how he faced down some incredible challenges.…
on “Ask HN: Are there any books that inspire or highly influence the way you work?” ↗…Memoir of My Life with Steve Jobs--though be forewarned it's pretty whiney and I really just skimmed over most of it. Her perspective on why he was attracted to Laurene Powell is interesting, though. 8. Elon Musk by Ashlee Vance - It's an authorized biography, so there's that, but it's still an interesting read.
on “Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?” ↗…Power of Passion and Perseverance - Angela Duckworth Peak: Secrets from the New Science of Expertise - Anders Ericsson, Robert Pool The War of Art - Steven Pressfield Do the Work - Steven Pressfield Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future - Ashlee Vance Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of Nike - Phil Knight The one that surprised me the most was the last one on that list. I don't…
on “Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?” ↗When Breath Becomes Air - Paul Kalanithi (highly recommended, but come prepared) Harry Potter and the Cursed Child - J. K. Rowling, Jack Thorne, John Tiffany (recommended for HP nostalgia) Elon Musk - Ashlee Vance (recommended) Shoe Dog - Phil Knight (highly recommended) Outliers - Malcolm Gladwell (meh) The Gene - Siddhartha Mukherjee (currently reading, recommended so far)
on “Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?” ↗1. The Hard Thing About Hard Things by Ben Horowitz 2. Elon Musk by Ashlee Vance 3. Inspired by Marty Cagan
on “Ask HN: What was the best book you read in 2016?” ↗