Walter Isaacson on the volatile Elon Musk

The bestselling biographer of such inventive personalities as Benjamin Franklin, Albert Einstein and Steve Jobs has written a new book about Elon Musk, the volatile billionaire who has built electric cars, launched rockets, and thrown wrenches into the war between Russia and Ukraine. Walter Isaacson talks with correspondent David Pogue about the ways in which Musk's companies are reshaping history, as well as the celebrity CEO's dramatic personality and his propensity to "go dark."
@SpaceX @tesla
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[@alexib1984]

I still believe he should create an electric lawn mower a name it the E-Lawn

[@heythave]

His lawnmower would be able to mowe one lawn and then makes itself to the next address on its own.

[@sterlingarcher1962]

Dad joke of the day, you win!

[@berlusmafia]

And dig holes In Zuckerberg lawn

[@ldfreitas9437]

Been done already.

[@heythave]

@@berlusmafia 🤣

[@yirisecurite4837]

You know you've made it when your interviewer gets interviewed Abt his interview with you.

[@kamuelalee]

Hahahaha! Love how they did the interview at the Space X factory, not with Musk but with Musk's interviewer.

[@ksc743]

​@@kamuelalee David Pogue. He became famous (or that's when I first heard of him) when his interviews with the CEO of the Titan sub, Stockton Rush, were first released.

[@jag5014]

it's all under the same parent company

[@weston.weston]

I am here for Walter Issacson's storytelling.

[@catzenhouse]

I usually am as well but E. Musk? Nope. Just ugh, Walter. Disappointing.

[@grahamfloyd3451]

@@catzenhouse what is disappointing? Are you speaking from a preconceived notion? See @9:15

[@rmkofmd1398]

He's probably the single most influential person of our times, and you are disappointed a biographer wrote about him because he is......what? Conservative? Sheesh.

[@weston.weston]

@@rmkofmd1398 Uhhh are you addressing me or someone else. I will assume you are referring to someone else because I never mentioned saying anything about Walter Isaacon being wrong for writing about EM. You made a lot of assumptions, putting words into another person's mouth/pen is not a good idea.

[@michaelschneider-]

@@catzenhouse ... I was ditto-minded, E. Musk? .. Not so fast...

[@Terry-te1ij]

I think he's great 🇺🇲

[@gregorypeterson9]

A thin line between brilliance and insanity.

[@teddnagurski5583]

He's a huckster.

[@sbeaney26]

“It’s such a fine line between stupid and clever” Michael McKean

[@markthomas7279]

His track record of companies speaks clearly.

[@spaghettisquasher]

Madness and greatness share the same face.

[@Psychol-Snooper]

Bond villain genesis.

[@bobwallace9753]

That was a fair presentation. Don't often see that.

[@I_WANT_MY_SLAW]

I'm so glad David Pogue is still with us, making great stories. We could've lost him that titanic sub.

[@NikkiJeanAtterberry]

Right?! F the billionaires, we only care about David 😅

[@sophiejaysstuff4026]

David is so important... NOT!

[@I_WANT_MY_SLAW]

@@sophiejaysstuff4026 he is. I really enjoy his stories. I wouldn't have been able to have such a good laugh at the billionaires dying had David been on the sub.

[@NikkiJeanAtterberry]

@@sophiejaysstuff4026 What did David Pogue ever do to you?? He is a national treasure!

[@lordburgendy6108]

I think it's too early to write a biography on Musk.

[@kamuelalee]

Agreed. Like Benjamin Franklin, wait 200 or so years.

[@bluesky7288]

Dony worry, there will be many more

[@teresaharris-travelbybooks5564]

Ashlee Vance has a very good book titled, Elon Musk.

[@markthomas7279]

Is it a biography?? I think there is interest. So what's the problem.

[@lordburgendy6108]

@markthomas7279 It'd make more sense to buy a biography about someone when their life is almost over and done with. Musk has so much more life ahead of him, and who knows what he's going to do during it. I, personally, would only buy a biography when I know I'm learning about someone's *whole* life, not just the first forty or so years.

[@jordanliamdavies1590]

Before Elon bought twitter most seemed to applaud his entrepreneurial spirit. When he bought Twitter for its censorship issues he became polarizing. The fact he released the twitter files was worth the purchase let alone anything else. Yet people still find a way to justify their emotions on why they should hate him.

[@Realm109]

You can say the exact thing about Trump before he became President. They even had lyrics in rap songs.

[@methods3110]

Mainly envy by the second rate.

[@shane864]

@@Realm109 It's almost like as people find out more about how terrible people are they like them less. Crazy concept.

[@Johnny_Savage]

look at the accounts he has interacted with since he bought twitter. 90% of them are far right / alt right. but he keeps saying he's centrist. I'm an actual centrist and I'd never do that. why are people surprised he has become polarizing? he's personally choosing to give visibility to polarizing figures, plus almost all of them are on one side of the spectrum

[@Johnny_Savage]

@@secretname4190 I wrote INTERACTED, not retweeted. Stop replying to people without reading. A reply or like by one of top 10 accounts on twitter gives the same visibility as a celebrity retweet and he knows it perfectly well.

[@nukobino]

"A 100 years from now, we would still be baffled in some ways about how dark he could be, but we'd say he put his fingers on the surface of history and the ripples came out." Walter Isaacson

[@methods3110]

Is that ‘ripples’ or ‘nipples’?

[@cronx1337]

That's pretty dumb, but expected from someone working for E.M.

[@MoCowbell]

Good job, David. Fair characterization of Musk.

[@wemakecookie]

Agreed. Gave a good overview in only 10 minutes as well.

[@Chicago48]

Musk is hit or miss with his business ventures. Not all are winners. He's also drug induced.

[@Brianhartmanmusic]

Lol. David is so stumbling over himself to appeal to the woke it’s a joke. Listen to him ask Walter, just after he explains how Musk is saving taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars let alone ground breaking advancements in multiple sectors of technology, and you admire him? Such a nasty thing to ask somebody.

[@David-wc5zl]

Insanity. How would you even know it's "fair"? It's embarrassing to see how gullible the TV need audience really is. No wonder you fools cheered on Iraq.

[@seanohelan8241]

Carnage in childhood is a recipe for disaster

[@shimmeringreflection]

Walter Isaacson is the best biographer I've ever read. I read his biography of Steve Jobs and it was brilliant. His one on Musk will no doubt make for great reading too

[@turkwendell6904]

No it won't

[@shimmeringreflection]

@@turkwendell6904 well, you won't read it so will never know

[@turkwendell6904]

@@shimmeringreflection that's a fair point

[@sminter7521]

Steve Jobs book was great

[@12801270able]

Then why did Isaacson grossly misrepresented Musk's role in the Crimea-Starlink situation like he was an elementary biography writer? Either he penned something with grave implications for Musk, or he backtracked and kowtowed to him. The best biographer, sure.

[@user-hn4oi7yz1h]

Trauma in childhood can, perhaps, cause an addiction to chaos and drama as an adult. Maybe, worth looking at. However, another wonderful book by the very adept Isaacson.

[@Chicago48]

Also an addiction to drugs.

[@SergTTL]

looking into it

[@pt9845]

@@Chicago48 nah, occasional alcohol and ambien to help sleep.

[@pt9845]

Bullies made him tough, they say he was born into wealth but he was actually quite poor considering his 3rd world country home. Dad taught him basic engineering and bought him a computer, Elon did the rest.

[@SergTTL]

@@pt9845 bullies made him a bully enabler

[@samansiddiquie1902]

Someone please give Walter Isaacson a Nobel. I have read 3 of his books. The Da Vinci, BF and Einstein biographies. My goodness, he writes beautifully

[@Stallion_1044]

Next should be about the 6th century Arabian warlord "Muhammad"

[@Johnny_Savage]

Pulitzer not Nobel

[@ManicMindTrick]

@@Johnny_Savage They gave a Nobel prize to Bob Dylan, a guy who hasn't written a book or play in his life, so giving a literature prize to a biographer is not out of the question. Unlikely though.

[@jungersrules]

It's true. Some people love the drama. It's their norm, possibly even a twisted "love language."

[@susannpatton2893]

They become addicted to the hustle. That covers every area

[@zzzT.]

hey peanutbrain, y put that in quotations? 🤠

[@alexthompson9516]

If there weren't people constantly swimming upstream and thriving on emergency and excitement, the rest of us would all starve.

[@jungersrules]

@@alexthompson9516 Instead, we are all obese.

[@josemedeiros007]

Great interview, I met Walter Isaacson at the Computer History Museum in Mountain View California for the Einstein presentation and book signing.

[@andrewashmore8000]

Great museum, thoroughly recommend a visit to anyone.

[@marryellenmonahan5585]

Our greatest existential threats are climate change and money in politics.

[@ec4146]

Correction: corrupt politicians colluding with corporations

[@nickg2561]

asteroids as well. An extinction level one WILL hit... in 1 year or 1000000 years

[@marryellenmonahan5585]

@@ec4146 same thing...

[@grahamfloyd3451]

I mean if you ignore all the actual existential threats that could destroy us, sure. It's fascinating how we focus on things like sharks that won't hurt us, while ignoring the things that do, like heart disease. I would say the fact that a handful of men (with the occasional woman) can destroy our species by starting a nuclear war, represents an existential threat. Climate change will be extremely disruptive, and it probably already is via a warming ocean and more frequent hurricanes, but humanity can adapt to it (unfortunately too many other species cannot). Make sense? And when in human history has unequal access to resources not affected our politics? You'd have to ask Jane Goodall to answer that one.

[@markthomas7279]

Then let Elon fix it!.

[@cashew1]

Imagine what the world would have been like had Howard Hughes been given the same amount of rope. Crazy is just that... Crazy!!!

[@Kylamiis]

Big factual error in video - the Starlink terminals were never ment for Ukraine military, they were humanitarian aid for civilians. Starlink TOS has always prohibited military use.

[@guslevy3506]

Don’t let facts get in the way of a good hating on Elon…

[@freedomfirst0421]

Fact- It helped Putin, the aggressor, plus cost the Ukrainians a lot for those drone boats. Don’t gloss over this fact

[@musicman53]

SpaceX is building a way smaller and highly secure version of Starlink for the US government and military called Starshield, which will not have the Starlink TOS.

[@SergTTL]

Big factual error in the video - the Starlink terminals were not provided for free.

[@pt9845]

@@freedomfirst0421 it hasn't helped putin lol. it cost the US a lot for that 6.2 billion "accounting error"

[@BobCristofaro]

When Ronan Farrow talks about Elon musk you know there’s gonna be some problems in the future

[@David-vo5qs]

There are always problems in the future with risk takers. People who actually do things break things and sometimes destroy things. While folks on the sidelines do nothing but criticize them while enjoying all the new art or technology that the doers create.

[@vladwochinki3020]

there is a theory that being a success figure will have haters no matter what good the person is. This is because success figures are often held to a higher standard than the average person. They are expected to be perfect, and any mistake they make is magnified and scrutinized. This can lead to a lot of negative attention, even from people who don't know him personally. There are a few reasons why people might hate the person. Some people may be jealous of their success. Others may disagree with their opinions or beliefs. Still others may simply enjoy being negative and tearing people down. Whatever the reason, it's important to remember that not everyone will like you, no matter what you do.

[@johnelwoodclarke5366]

He 'Elon' needs to be unfettered. Though he damages some his head long charge through life, he has sufficient successes to counter balance the damage, and we only get him once for a limited time. Life is short, use his talent while we have it!!!

[@XueLin-pe9fg]

It's a great narrative

[@foxmercuryearthylog120]

OK, and what about all the damage he does to others without treatment?

[@towanda1067]

History has shown that giving an individual unfettered power like that most often leads to abuses.

[@emilerose1424]

Question, @johnelwoodclarke5366: If you were one of those who expected to be on the damaged end of "Elon unfettered," would you argue for unfettered Elon?

[@emilerose1424]

@@towanda1067 Amen. It is still true that power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Although there are people who use all their talents for good, the average personality finds power too seductive to resist.

[@spaghettisquasher]

The first time in years i've seen an actual honest media report.

[@JunaidWolf3]

I have autism but I could never be this successful to the point I’m a multimillionaire but I am going to try and start my own business

[@BryceLovesTech]

My 2013 Tesla Model S is a game changing vehicle, now with 160k miles it’s still my dream car, thank you Elon

[@sdc8598]

Is anyone else uncomfortable with a person lacking military experience and Commander status being able to directly influence a military mission or test?

[@uprebel5150]

And unelected.

[@user-wi3nn9vw5d]

The military is free to choose another contractor but spacex delivers

[@maryannkochanski5777]

Abuse can alter a person. There is a time in life when we must make the choice to let it define us in a bad way or a good way.

[@khrispykreme213]

This goes for everyone on Earth. No one is one thing. They can be both.

[@bkkz6769]

Everyone who is trying to change the world is labelled as an outcast, different, or maybe sometimes insane.

[@gdutfulkbhh7537]

He’s changed nothing. It’s all lies and PR.

[@andrerodriguez7603]

His haste to get things done, in my opinion is. He knows we all have a time limit to get things done on this earth before we die. We all tend to procrastinate, he doesn’t.

[@jparker5050]

A sociopath who doesn't procrastinate. Great.

[@andrerodriguez7603]

@@jparker5050 I wish we had more sociopaths like him. The world would be a better place. Tell me what you have contributed to society.

[@ar2042]

@@andrerodriguez7603 I'm sure Jparkers dad didn't own an emerald mine in apartheid SA to afford all the opportunities in the world smh

[@andrerodriguez7603]

@@ar2042 how do you know that as fact? Maybe jparker is wealthy. I don’t know the person. You don’t either. Also I don’t know anything about what you said either, could be true or not. I do know Musk didn’t accomplish all he has done from not using other people’s money. That’s how business works.

[@BrianHencheyShow]

Not a bad 10 minute commercial for a book. CBS Sunday Morning's usual is to NOT say there's a financial conflict of interest, so this one was a welcomed surprise.

[@triciajumonville7741]

I've never known them NOT to say that a book is published by an associated company. It's somewhat jarring how they make sure to put that in there. How have you missed it?

[@BrianHencheyShow]

@@triciajumonville7741 lol, is yours a serious comment?!? There are many, multiple instances of CBS Sunday Morning failing to identify their conflict of interest! Just on youtube, I’ve commented on _at least_ three segments, some of which I’m sure contained multiple books, during which they never disclosed their conflict of interest. To summarize: (a) this is a real problem, (b) they’ve done it MANY times over the years, and (c) if you pay attention more than me (and I say that because I almost never consume any of CBS’ content anymore), you’ll catch them doing their book commercials without telling the audience that it’s effectively a commercial (read: disclose that CBS has a conflict of interest).

[@critical_always]

Society is risk averse. Too many referees and not enough doers. That is spot on and possibly the undoing of the greatest culture that ever existed.

[@ryanmiller9384]

So the horrible dark parts are: 1. He named his kid x. 2. He didn’t let the Ukrainians go on the offensive targeting Russian ships for fear of igniting WWIII (much like the US government who are holding back multiple weapons systems) 3. Awkwardness on Saturday night live.

[@antonioangeloviii4748]

He's also in regular contact with Putin. 83 percent of previously banned authoritarian governments propaganda is now allowed on x/Twitter. He also wanted russia to claim the occupied territories of Ukraine which they took by murdering it's inhabitants .

[@TheSe7enman]

Hahaha, yeah not that dark really

[@ColinBukovec]

“100 years from now we’ll still be baffled in some ways about how dark he could be. But we’ll say he put his fingers on the surface of history and the ripples came out.”

[@AngusAngus]

I mean deciding we need to yeet off of planet earth may be a bit of giving up on the only good thing going. Space exploration (however much I'm obsessed with it) is nowhere near as important as fixing earth problems, which are only mounting.

[@Daniela-pr7rz]

@@AngusAngus things on earth are never going to be fixed. Never. Exploration must not be delayed because of something like that.

[@AngusAngus]

@@Daniela-pr7rz it's just a shame the most powerful man in the world went from taking over Tesla and starting an EV revolution to destroying Twitter and creating a hotbed for hot takes.

[@12801270able]

You've no idea what you're talking about. Things on Earth have gotten much better compared to just a century ago; and especially compared to a couple centuries ago. It's infinitely better compared to where humanity was a thousand years ago. Furthermore, humanity's problems will always follow humanity, no matter where they are. @@Daniela-pr7rz

[@David-vo5qs]

Damn wasn’t expecting this to be so good 😊 finally some balanced journalism as opposed to 24hr lazy criticism.

[@bearlemley]

I can’t believe the likes of CBS was Allowed inside SpaceX

[@mech-E]

Love him out hate him, he has been quite influential.

[@joeybaseball7352]

The cybertruck will be the new delorean in the back to the future reboot.

[@Pascal9004]

I'm amazed we're living in an era where we're witnessing a genius create amazing technology, rather than just reading about it. I've always wondered what it would be like live in the eras of Edison, Tesla or Bell when they were alive. To go from having no electricity to having it, and knowing that it came during your lifetime.

[@sandbridgekid4121]

He's not a genius. He's a sociopathic opportunist. SpaceX and Tesla solely exist through massive government subsidies and loans. And stealing others creations, like Edison and Ford.

[@Head00Busta]

But Musk hasn't created amazing technology. The only thing he really had a hand in creating was PayPal back in the late 90's, and then used the fortune he made from selling that to buy the companies he is now known for. The guy is good at acting like a genius, not actually being one. That's something more reserved for the Doctoral students at MiT who are working on things like quantum computing, advanced AI, and biotech.

[@Pascal9004]

@@garyhinton7191 Umm...a google search can answer all those questions. What have you done in comparison that rivals him?

[@Jake-rs9nq]

​@@Pascal9004 You might want to use google yourself. He is not an engineer, he has not designed a rocket or battery or car. The one thing he did was write software code, but that was only for PayPal, and only in a limited manner. What Musk is, similar to Trump, is a marketer. He is in the advertising business, and like Trump, his brand is himself. He bought Tesla, and then slapped the label 'co-founder' on himself. I have no doubt that Musk is a hard worker and talented. But it would be a mistake to envision him as an inventor, engineer, scientist, etc. He is none of these things.

[@David-wc5zl]

None of it's true though.He hasn't made anything unique at all and technology will not save you. Holy moly, no wonder you fools brought us Iraq.

[@DarwinsChihuahua]

X did not become PayPal. This video is riddled with inaccuracies.

[@Larseus]

I don’t care what anyone says, Elon to me is awesome! I think people take him the wrong way too much

[@hardcoredoom5892]

They do it to him on purpose. It reminds me of the comics in which the media turns the thoughtless masses against Spider-Man, Batman, and Superman when they’re the only true heroes the people have.

[@Larseus]

@@hardcoredoom5892 true, they also did the same to Nikola Tesla, the media made everyone go against him.

[@otterpossum9128]

He has Asperger's, which I have too. He works 16-18 hour days, Has created successful and actually innovative companies since he was 21. With Aspergers, we don't have emotions like you. We don't actually love things, or feel bad for people. We say we do because we pretend we are normal when we are younger but it wears on us so at some point around 35-40, we no longer put on the mask. Unless you have done 1% of that, you probably need to keep it to yourself.

[@uprebel5150]

This is exactly why he shouldn't be running US Foreign Policy in respect to Ukraine. He has blood on his hands for his lack of empathy.

[@otterpossum9128]

@@uprebel5150 Wow, do you lack comprehension? This was outside of Ukraine.. I know you're American so you don't understand that the world isn't just what the US wants. It's not his war bud, and no company wants to be drawn into geopolitics. Geopolitics means that world, not just your state.

[@42976675]

Musk doesn’t like government interference but it seems that’s his biggest customer and one that gives rebates on his products.

[@BitJam]

Government contracts and government interference are two different things. Musk argued against EV rebates saying they were not needed. Once they were enacted anyway, of course he took advantage of them. There are plenty of things to legitimately criticize Musk for but these two are not among them.

[@Mikitanfox1]

govt needs to pull all tax writeoffas and grants to spacex, it is a ruzzian asset now. he's a TRAITOR!

[@AntonMilev]

Tesla received about $400 million from the government in the form of a loan, which it paid back early, paying $20 million in interest. Would you state how much Ford and GM have received over the last 20 years, including in grants they don't have to pay back? I'll make it easy for you, it's about tens of billions of dollars. I'm from the European Union and we here wonder how so many Americans hate Musk? We would be happy to take him with us

[@uprebel5150]

@@AntonMilevYou can have the man with no empathy for the killing of innocent Ukrainians. You may be next.

[@AntonMilev]

​@uprebel7783 It is the absolute right for Musk not to execute military orders by foreign governments, and to only execute drafting orders by the US government, under US laws. Executing military orders of foreign governments, outside direct requests by the US Gov, or in direct application of a contractor's contract, would be a breach of US laws and constitution

[@hanneliemarais9565]

I can't wait to read his autobiography. People are quickly to judge I personally think , .due to his childhood with his dad , I think his is so scared not to ever become like his dad or have the same effect on his children like his dad had , that unknowingly he becomes a part of him. No person can be 100 % normal working the hours and with so much ambition and perfection like Elon Musk. For the ladies he was involved with , I never ever read or heard about any scandal about him treating or abusing a woman. What is wrong with this world he had more than one chilld with all of them....not by force but by choice!!!!! As for them discussing his behaviour with the world , I have one thing to say " lady you were in arelationship with Elon Musk not the world, that's private family business!! Your children will also read this book one day.......and you as mother will have to explain!

[@bewitched3912]

Grimes is forced to sue for visitation and Elon is a serial cheater who isn't faithful to anyone; not a wife, child or friend. He is a troll at best

[@jamielast3133]

Anyone that disrespects him ....well for me hes an inspiration and as an electrical engineer id love to work for him Hes the future!

[@sethgerwitz]

I’m in ME and dream of working at one of his companies

[@vanna13v]

PayPal is not a software company

[@juliahello6673]

People who hate Elon Musk always call him a "billionaire" (with hate in their voice) which tells me all I need to know about their ability to intelligently evaluate other people.

[@johnjohnson3709]

I never think of him as a billionaire.

[@Feefa99]

Greed is literally a sin and I am atheist.

[@johnjohnson3709]

@@Feefa99 I used to call myself an atheist but my ideas about God and life gave changed since I’ve gotten older. I don’t necessarily believe in God but do believe in the Golden Rule and Karma.

[@Feefa99]

@@johnjohnson3709 well that's pretty normal empathy, every non-transactional relationship is based on it, you don't need holy book or spiritualim for that :)

[@ec4146]

Musk should be celebrated for creating multiple companies that will help USA remain relevant on the world stage. Plus, he has created thousands of jobs but gets attacked by the media because he gets things done in spite of the government. Musk is amazing. I’m glad he shares his opinions in a open manner. Most people just give the safest meaningless answer . Musk is transparent.

[@uprebel5150]

Elon has blood on his hands in Ukraine.

[@TheMagicJIZZ]

​@@uprebel5150what if he never launched starlink in Ukraine?

[@sethgerwitz]

@@uprebel5150what if he never created starlink?

[@joequaider6275]

What is behind Franz. The 2 seater he's developing for robotaxi

[@patriciaragland1286]

Great interview

[@Bryanbkk]

Without Musk, what does America have going for it? 😮

[@patrickrkruger]

Microsoft, Google, all of Silicon Valley, Hollywood, Memphis, LA, NY, CHI, ATL the music of Nashville...

[@texaswunderkind]

The United States was the world's biggest economy before Musk, and it would be that without Musk. I think we could all do without his many failed business ideas like SolarCity, Boring Company, and that idiotic flamethrower.

[@Bryanbkk]

@@patrickrkruger Yes, but aside from Microsoft, Google, Silicon Valley, Hollywood Memphis and Nashville, what does America having going for it?

[@youbian]

Walter Isaacson’s next book needs to be about KZbin commenters.

[@philwhln]

Can’t wait to read the book!

[@mane3763]

I drank the Kool-Aid at 3$ a share.

[@arwed2801]

Good one 👍

[@PapaPiggie]

I’ve read as much as I can find about Musk, good and bad. This is the most fair and accurate biography by leaps I’ve ever heard. Kudos

[@David-wc5zl]

LOL. Reading these comments by people pretending to be smart is too funny. Idiocracy is here.

[@dec23]

I don't care for Elon's views on things. At times he can be detached and quite cruel. But, as far as his drive for change and making the world more green, I appreciate his hard work in that aspect.

[@uprebel5150]

Elon lacks empathy skills due to having Asbeger's Syndrome.

[@ManicMindTrick]

Thank god there are people more focused on facts over feelings and vice versa. It is needed to balance things out. Yin and Yang @@uprebel5150

[@morganhillrealestate]

Fascinating

[@AllThingsEV]

Solid interview

[@GrandHuevotes]

Musk is a god!

[@Elon_Reeve__Musk_X]

wow so good

[@bernios3446]

Whenever I hear about him, I wonder how people can hate him. World need way more Elon Musks. He does what he things is best and gives a f**** about what people think is not decent or the "right thing to do" - and of course, many if not most of his projects promise to become very helpful for humanity. Who else can say this about himself?

[@eddieshoffner1531]

Smartest man in world. You will not lose by betting on him .

[@IAlwaysWantedToTryThat]

Richest, yes. Smartest? Oh buddy... 🤣

[@David-vo5qs]

Smartest man, I don’t think so. But he’s definitely the smartest man in the world that has bold ideas and daring to build things.

[@sethgerwitz]

@@IAlwaysWantedToTryThatsorry to tell you but you are not the richest man in the world.

[@RB-pi3jl]

The controversial aspects of Elon Musk are much over-blown. His personality is different, sure. But not alarming. And his enthusiasm for freedom and accomplishment weighs heavily in his favor. The US and the world will be forever in his debt. There are changes for the good coming, and no one but Elon Musk can bring them.

[@steveburke7675]

Getting involved with (sabotaging) US military policy in Ukraine isn't disturbing? What about falsely accusing the leader of the Thai cave rescue team of being a p3do? What about falsely claiming to be the founder of a company? Over-blown much?

[@Anton_Sh.]

"Empathy" is not about emotions and love, it's a common misunderstanding of this term.

[@dw309]

Volatile? Is this what we’re calling self made billionaires now? Lol. Okay.

[@ImmuneToTrollHate]

I'm going to liken Musk to Rudy Guiliani How far the mighty have fallen

[@heythave]

Guiliani is all about himself and has no other talent other than to defend himself and his interests. The difference between him and Elon are like night and day.

[@danerose575]

Having watched the hostility and in many cases inaccurate and insulting reporting as Musk tries to tackle our biggest human problems, I find it off that Ronan is concerned about Musks erratic behavior, rather than concerned about how painful it is to care in a cult surrounded by largely sociopathic click-driven media with presidents who lie and attack Musk for doing more for America than they are. I've been worried for Elon because I know the way he has been treated would drive me mad. It's great that he has not gone off the deep end yet, but it would be better if we were focused on how to create a culture that produced more humans with Elon's vision and drive who feel more welcome and supported and more stable than anyone is likely to feel if treated the way Elon has been treated since birth.

[@emilerose1424]

Serious question. @damerpse575: Exactly what human-affirmed human problems has Elon Musk tackled/tried to tackle? Serious question. I work with several hurting/in-need populations. Give me a clue as to what Mr. Musk has done that addresses the "biggest human problems." Give me a clue as to what you think those "biggest human problems" are.

[@ManicMindTrick]

@@emilerose1424 He has made progress on moving us towards sustainable energy, making us closer to a multi-planetary civilization, and helped with safe AI which ironically backfired in his face in the Open AI case. At least he has brought attention to the possible existential risk of this technology but I'm not sure it will matter in the end.

[@emilerose1424]

@@ManicMindTrick You may be right, and I may be crazy. One of my flaws is that once I see voluntary flaws in a person's character, I'm out. Musk comes across as hateful to me, so I can't admire anything about him.

[@ManicMindTrick]

@@emilerose1424 It's good that you realize your own bias. I have read a lot of his tweets and there isn't much hate if you scrutinize the whole body of messages. He is a fundamentally facts-over-feelings kind of guy, something very common with Asbergers, and that type of honesty can perhaps make someone seem less empathic. What I'm curious about is how much of your dismissal is based on mainstream media hit pieces ever since started drifting away from the the narrative. How did you feel about him 6 years ago? We live in such polarized and tribalistic times, it's no wonder the outrage on both sides is ramped up.

[@KeizerHedorah]

albert einstein is one of the greatest characters ever created.

[@josefsaint]

8:28 YES YOU SHOULDA LED WITH THIS.

[@kyhi6900]

Let’s hope he’s a better father than his father was?

[@helenwheels3341]

He's not

[@penandsword4386]

Six kids by six women . So, nope.

[@gregorypeterson9]

11 kids they won't even know him very well.

[@pt9845]

he's constantly seen hanging out with X. seems he's a better dad than most.

[@DannyShipley-rb4nj]

Same saying here on our Reservation….too much chiefs..not enough warriors😅

[@normalsasquatch]

Which rez you from? I'm from Whiteriver, currently in Anadarko.

[@oldpoet313]

There is enough theories and science and fewer who apply it. Elon is almost stand alone and probably the best. I cannot ask someone like to be "normal" and what is normal anyway?

[@ritasseremba6435]

Nice ❤

[@benjaminpatrick9725]

"He put his finger on the surface of history and the ripples came out." That sums it up very well. While the majority, the mundane are crippled by the needless bureaucracy that has swallowed this country's spirit, and the weak are consumed with their small lives, this man has achieved greatness. There is no greater sin in what America has become, and no greater testimony to the power of the promise of liberty upon which it was founded, than for a man to reach for the stars and grasp them. If you hate him so much, look inside yourself and try to figure out why before you cast even more stones and cheer on his failures.

[@Sid_Personal_]

Perfectly explained.

[@anastasiabeaverhausen8220]

First do no harm. I'd rather be among those you call 'weak.' It's called empathy. I'd rather live a 'small' life. How arrogant to covet power and make any excuse in order to wield it for your own monetary gain. He's just another example of using daddy's and taxpayers' money to fail upward--for a time, anyway, and is now going down fast.

[@thomasreese2816]

Random fluctuations in the market do not represent true drops. Climate change is the biggest threat we are facing, and Tesla is the company having the largest impact to save us from ourselves. Scaling EVs and grid scale batteries will drastically alter the oil industry over the coming decades

[@sethgerwitz]

@@anastasiabeaverhausen8220 genuinely curious as to what your profession is

[@grahamfloyd3451]

A lesson in how the public gets erroneous ideas into there head. A misstatement, @5:30, quickly spreads through the news around the world, and although corrected here, the world doesn't remember the correction, only the initial error.

[@uprebel5150]

The Ukrainians said that he turned StarLink off. The US Military would never let this happen. StarLink will be nationalized.

[@grahamfloyd3451]

@@uprebel5150 don't spread misinformation. Don't talk about things you wish were true as if they were true.

[@katieg1763]

🤦🏽‍♀️ what does empathy have to do with not wanting the love of the person in front of you?

[@oarsteed]

One superficial takeaway: Balding billionaires can regrow their hair.

[@josefsaint]

7:34 too bad his employees can't partake in states where it is legal...

[@pt9845]

they can at tesla, but spacex has government clearance.

[@reginafefifofina]

A great way for Elon to invest and get back at African childhood bullies - you go build some factories over there and be their boss 😂

[@uprebel5150]

And build some schools before South Africa deteriorates even more.

[@MubashirullahD]

These mini interviews had more to offer. I would have loved to hear what the designer had further to say on disagreeeing.

[@sethgerwitz]

Read the book

[@stephenpalfy8226]

In a hundred years, “we” won’t be talking about anything.

[@greenvelvetant3638]

Dark strands 🤣. Oh my God the writer is overdramatizing. I work at a slow aerospace company and even at a slow company, there are occasional heated arguments where people raise their voice. SpaceX is on the cusp of full reusability with Starship - of course we'll remember that 100 years from now.

[@segurosincero4057]

He’s a hero. Thank God he came to the United States.

[@connieprudhel296]

I just want to ask one questions of the brilliancy that you can tribute to the extension of what is

[@connieprudhel296]

Where can one go with that acknowledgment that already exists? What can one contribute to that which can be created to exist? How can one see the enlightenment of creation that can be without knowing that it already exists?

[@stevenm7211]

He should make a brand of musk and just call it "Elon"

[@PedroTRamos1]

Love him or hate him, but people like him are the ones who push technology further and thus make everyone´s lives easier.

[@starshot5172]

Yup. No rational person can do that. We need rational peoplr elsewhere

[@properduction2586]

Nope…The engineers and scientists make everyone’s live easier…Musk has made his wealth from emerald gold mines at the times of Apartheid…And there’s his treatment of workers…and then twitter…it’s a very long list… The fact that you believe billionaires create and spark innovation is really telling of your lack of intelligence…

[@yingle6027]

Yes but he could potentially hurt my feelings if I meet him one day. I'm literally shaking right now.

[@rxshred]

Every century, a few visionary came along and change humanity for the better (Newton, Einstein, Tesla…). Elon is one of those visionary!!!! I hope he stays alive long enough to see his vision comes to fruition (colonize Mars, RoboTaxi, Electricfication of the entire planet). 10-15 yrs is probably all he need.

[@MikeJohnson-nj1ry]

You have bought into his BS. You don't know Musk didn't create Tesla? Have you bought your hyperloop ticket?

[@Warbay57]

Tesla had 3 employees, no office, no IP, Nothing.. So yes he did create Tesla.@@MikeJohnson-nj1ry

[@Xsyzz_]

@@MikeJohnson-nj1ryThe original founders of Tesla (2003) did nothing. It wasn’t until Elon came in 2008 and became head of product to lead the design of the original roadster. Tesla hadn’t produced a single car up until this point (they had no intellectual property at all), and has since scaled to almost 5 million sold, for which he has been CEO for this entire period.

[@freedomfirst0421]

Just hope he spends time with his 6 kids and they don’t become f’d up trust fund babies

[@anastasiabeaverhausen8220]

A lot of people would love to see him go to Mars...and stay there.

[@ChrisBronson-gn5yd]

😏 Dat was fun to watch!!! 😂😮

[@ShovelShovel]

9:17 John Carmack appears!

[@josefsaint]

7:47 He can move to Russia.

[@eddyvideostar]

I like his X. I will always think about and rate this highly when using the platform.

[@slevinshafel9395]

To me the two person on background with the hat are more interested. Pleas ask them how they make that propulsion engine?

[@elonmuskb001gmail]

🎉 Thanks for your unconditional love ❤️ and support. Where are you from?

[@seal4ever778]

Don’t forget about Elon’s hair plugs!

[@mililaniman]

I admire the work ethic of Elon Musk.

[@heythave]

The guy works like 100 hours a week. I don’t know how he does it.

[@vladwochinki3020]

it is like his hobbies so , he doing it while having fun @@heythave

[@uprebel5150]

@@heythaveAdderall and other drugs.

[@heythave]

You have to have a clear mind to be chief engineer of SpaceX and ceo of Tesla and also run Twitter/X. No amount of drugs will get the booster rocket to go up every time and come back down en pointe on a piece of tug boat every time. No one does it before and this guy did a few calculations and said this was possible and got people and money together to make it happen. People throw shades all they want, but Elon operates at a different level than most of us. Celebrate. Don’t be jealous.

[@sethgerwitz]

@@uprebel5150You don’t need drugs when you are neurodivergent.

[@cliffmendenhall2943]

I hope Elon gets messages like this from many. Thank you so much for what you are doing for humankind. We love you Elon, keep it up.

[@teranmm]

He hasn’t done anything but make money off others work. Modern Edison

[@sethgerwitz]

@@teranmmwhat does Elon spend all his money on?

[@skjenco]

To get a better more in-depth interview with Walter Isaacson discussing Elon Musk, consider watching Lex Fridman's long-form conversation.

[@ElonMusk-dz9pv]

You can always reach out if you have any questions or inquiry...

[@josefsaint]

0:36 NO HE'S NOT. NO HE DID NOT. HE JUST PURCHASED COMPANIES.

[@kimibear9]

He did not say he "invented"... he said "re-invented." Tesla is at the forefront of EV technology, so much so that Toyota has reversed engineered a Tesla because they're trying to get into the game with a better more efficient EV. Gotta love the competition to move things forward.