💭 Personal Reflection

There is a thin line between being a genius and being reckless.

Many times, you have to cross the line to understand where being a genius ends and being reckless begins…

That means there will be people who will get hurt, disappointed, upset and extremely mad along the way.

If you read Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson, you probably wondered, like many of us, if there are any other ways to become successful without becoming toxic.

And the reality is that we all have demons in us… we are all “moulded out of faults,” as Shakespeare once said.

Both Elon Musk and Steve Jobs shared demons that somehow ended up being part of their drive to becoming “crazy enough to think they could change the world.”

These similarities can be shared in the sense of urgency and belief in the importance of what they were doing…

Their insane attachment to their company missions drove them to stick to what they believed was a priority in this world.

They also share the intensity, drive and relentless pursuit of great work.

This book amplifies the challenges and difficulties of those very dynamics…

The insane hours spent in solving crises (sometimes self-imposed) in the name of progress and innovation.

But perhaps the biggest lesson for both of them was the difficulty of making personal life decisions…

Why was declaring bankruptcy for one of his companies, not an option, but divorce was?

The answer may be that we only allocate certain hours and brain cycles to navigate limited life crises successfully.

“The explosion of Starship was emblematic of Musk, a fitting metaphor for his compulsion to aim high, act impulsively, take wild risks, and accomplish amazing things–but also to blow things up and leave smouldering debris in his wake while cackling maniacally.”

Reading this book, one could admire the amazing accomplishments of his professional career but feel empathy for the smouldering debris in his personal life…

When asked what advice he would give to someone who wanted to be the next Elon Musk.

Elon responded…

“I’d be careful what you wish for. I’m not sure how many people would actually like to be me. The amount that I torture myself is next level, frankly.”

This is a great book to read to go deeper into the intimate stories and behind-the-scenes of one of the great innovators of our generation.

“A rule-breaking visionary who led us into the era of electric vehicles, private space exploration, and artificial intelligence.”

The big question is, what drove Elon Musk to endure and continue to endure the insane challenges he is trying to solve?

He was embarking on a mission similar to the book that he read that got him out of his existential crises during his teenage years…

"The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, which featured a supercomputer designed to figure out the answer to the ultimate question of life, the universe, and everything.”

Hope this helps! Until next week.

- Agustin