Reading Reflection

For my biography, I chose Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future, Ashlee Vance. I chose him specifically because although he’s the most well known and most seen in the news, especially recently, I wanted to know some depth about him and his character. Maybe its because I never followed him seriously, but I pictured him having a very similar story to Steve Jobs, with Tesla being his baby project he started in his very own garage and grew it to what it is now. However, he actually has a very similar story to most entrepreneurs in the fact that the started multiple enterprises such as Zip2 or X.com before he got involved with Tesla and SpaceX. This was also one of the things I most admired about him; the fact that he is involved in multiple industries and didn’t stop with Tesla shows his truest entrepreneurial spirit. Rather than simply make money, he seems more obsessed with starting and growing his ideas to benefit the world and isn’t afraid to take risks or try new things. Perhaps one of the things I least admire about him that is especially prominent in the news today, is that I don’t necessarily think he’s the best leader. A large part of entrepreneurship is starting the business, taking the risks, and being able to grow it. Musk is undoubtedly one of the best at that. But recent events such as smoking marijuana on a podcast or even admitting to mix alcohol and drugs earlier on, caused ramifications for his companies. While he certainly has the freedom to do as he chooses, unfortunately people in his positions of power are held to higher standards, and his actions caused Tesla’s stock to plummet and other negative consequences. With that being said, he is still one of the brightest minds of our generation and I believe he has great goals. I would ask him how probable he thinks our colony on Mars is, and also, especially with his stance on global warming and AI, how likely it is that us humans are the ones that cause our own extinction. I think someone like Musk values hard work, but also has cares more about the goal rather than how you get there. As I mentioned, he seems to focus on solving his problems rather than making money, so it seems as if he would be more prone to valuing someone who can solve an issue of global warming rather than have the biggest company or be the richest person.

Comments

  1. UnknownOctober 15, 2018 at 6:25 AM

    Hi Carson! I respect your desire to broaden your perception of a modern social/entrepreneurial icon and his rise. It is always reassuring to hear when success stories began in a garage although it is evident that he had some business trials before Tesla was the main project. All that he does tells the true tale of how entrepreneurs can spread themselves out among different industries and projects. Not knowing much about Elon before reading this post besides that he invented a flamethrower or something, I found your opinion about him wanting to improve the world with his ideas is very interesting to me. Thank you for pointing out his weaknesses as an entrepreneur! Good job :)

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  2. UnknownOctober 15, 2018 at 1:15 PM

    Hey Carson!

    Really thorough post. Elon Musk is definitely one of the most esteemed entrepreneurs and a leader in his field. I think reading about his story is really interesting because of the success of Tesla and SpaceX, that are extremely niche and risky fields. I definitely agree that Elon Musk's risky behavior can be problematic as he changed the stock price to $420 in a weed reference, and received immense backlash because of it.

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  3. UnknownOctober 15, 2018 at 9:14 PM

    Hey Carson,
    I really enjoyed your post. I also chose to read up on Elon Musk so I was very interested in what you thought about the reading. I loved reading about Musk's rise to success, and it was so impressive considering he started in a garage. I felt that the most interesting part of the reading was the fact that he expects his employees to work as hard as he does. I really think that that could be considered a testament to his success and work ethic. You don't become one of the world's richest men without outworking everyone else, while also expecting your peers to do the same. Great job and keep up the great work!

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  4. Parker BlystoneOctober 15, 2018 at 9:51 PM

    Carson,
    I, too, find Elon Musk very interesting. His entrepreneurial story is definitely one filled with many trials and tribulations. In fact, one could say that he is still experiencing some hardships with both Tesla and SpaceX, yet he remains as committed as ever. Your post is thorough and comprehensive and very well done, good job!

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