Short cuts
Walter Isaacson has written biographies of former Apple boss Steve Jobs, gene editing pioneer Jennifer Doudna and Albert Einstein. Now, he’s taken on one of the biggest and most divisive personalities of our time. (Simon & Schuster) is a monster of reportage – 600-plus pages – for the man who runs a large chunk of the 21st century (Twitter/X, Tesla, SpaceX); just reading the list of interviewees is exhausting. He trailed Musk for two years, spoke to friends, enemies, colleagues, family, exes. The early years give insight into what drives him: his lonely, difficult childhood in South Africa in the 1980s (without saying much on apartheid), – including an overbearing fathersaid it is full of juicy details, but lacks a close critical focus. Isaacson is a little dazzled by his subject, thought the If you’re looking for dubious managerial principles such as “empathy is not an asset” you can find them, said Though the wondered if it might just be time to retire the entire genre of “great innovator” bios.
