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Elon Musk Hints He Should Write His Own Autobiography

MarketDash Editorial Team
19 days ago
The billionaire entrepreneur suggests he needs to tell his own story and share lessons learned, two years after Walter Isaacson's bestselling biography hit shelves.

Elon Musk wears a lot of hats. Entrepreneur, investor, founder, CEO of multiple companies, world's richest person. Now he's hinting at adding "author" to that already crowded resume.

Why Write Your Own Story?

Walter Isaacson's 2023 biography "Elon Musk" became an instant bestseller, but two years later, the subject himself thinks there's more to tell. And apparently, he'd like to be the one telling it.

"I need to tell my story myself and highlight lessons that I learned along the way that would be useful to others," Musk tweeted recently.

The comment came after an X user shared a video of Isaacson speaking with C-SPAN's American's Book Club. In that interview, Isaacson criticized Musk's involvement with the Department of Government Efficiency, according to reports from Teslarati.

"It's a shame because had he gone into government and focused on what he's good at...He could have changed the government for good, but instead...he started, you know, let's get rid of this part of USAID and firing people," Isaacson said.

That's an interesting development considering Isaacson spent considerable time with Musk while researching the book, with behind-the-scenes access to the billionaire's world. Released in September 2023, the biography covered everything from Musk's birth through parts of 2023, including Tesla Inc.'s (TSLA) "production hell" in 2018 and the Twitter acquisition in 2022.

What Would a Musk Autobiography Cover?

A new book written by Musk could dive deeper into the period from 2023 through 2025. That would include his increasingly prominent role in politics and his efforts to help elect President Trump. Those are chapters that unfolded after Isaacson's book went to print.

Musk's fans would undoubtedly love a first-hand account of life inside his various companies. But here's the obvious problem: when exactly would he write it?

The Time Problem

Tesla investors are probably more interested in seeing Musk maintain his renewed focus on the electric vehicle company rather than splitting attention with a memoir project. His new pay package, worth nearly $1 trillion, gives him plenty of incentive to concentrate on Tesla's future growth. Musk has previously predicted Tesla could reach a $20 trillion valuation, with 80% of that tied to the Optimus humanoid robot.

Musk has been remarkably open on social media about his life and companies, sharing stories about Tesla's near-failure and its transformation over the years. Maybe that ongoing commentary is the autobiography, just delivered in real time on X.

A more realistic scenario might be that Musk waits until he steps back from Tesla's day-to-day operations before tackling a book project. Otherwise, something's got to give. He could bring in a co-writer, or perhaps let Grok, the chatbot from xAI, handle the heavy lifting. That would certainly be on brand.

Movie First, Book Later?

Before any Musk-penned autobiography hits bookstores, fans might see a big-screen version of his life story. A24 acquired the rights to Isaacson's book, with filmmaker Darren Aronofsky attached to direct. That should make for an interesting interpretation of the world's most unpredictable billionaire.

Back to News

Elon Musk Hints He Should Write His Own Autobiography

MarketDash Editorial Team
19 days ago
The billionaire entrepreneur suggests he needs to tell his own story and share lessons learned, two years after Walter Isaacson's bestselling biography hit shelves.

Elon Musk wears a lot of hats. Entrepreneur, investor, founder, CEO of multiple companies, world's richest person. Now he's hinting at adding "author" to that already crowded resume.

Why Write Your Own Story?

Walter Isaacson's 2023 biography "Elon Musk" became an instant bestseller, but two years later, the subject himself thinks there's more to tell. And apparently, he'd like to be the one telling it.

"I need to tell my story myself and highlight lessons that I learned along the way that would be useful to others," Musk tweeted recently.

The comment came after an X user shared a video of Isaacson speaking with C-SPAN's American's Book Club. In that interview, Isaacson criticized Musk's involvement with the Department of Government Efficiency, according to reports from Teslarati.

"It's a shame because had he gone into government and focused on what he's good at...He could have changed the government for good, but instead...he started, you know, let's get rid of this part of USAID and firing people," Isaacson said.

That's an interesting development considering Isaacson spent considerable time with Musk while researching the book, with behind-the-scenes access to the billionaire's world. Released in September 2023, the biography covered everything from Musk's birth through parts of 2023, including Tesla Inc.'s (TSLA) "production hell" in 2018 and the Twitter acquisition in 2022.

What Would a Musk Autobiography Cover?

A new book written by Musk could dive deeper into the period from 2023 through 2025. That would include his increasingly prominent role in politics and his efforts to help elect President Trump. Those are chapters that unfolded after Isaacson's book went to print.

Musk's fans would undoubtedly love a first-hand account of life inside his various companies. But here's the obvious problem: when exactly would he write it?

The Time Problem

Tesla investors are probably more interested in seeing Musk maintain his renewed focus on the electric vehicle company rather than splitting attention with a memoir project. His new pay package, worth nearly $1 trillion, gives him plenty of incentive to concentrate on Tesla's future growth. Musk has previously predicted Tesla could reach a $20 trillion valuation, with 80% of that tied to the Optimus humanoid robot.

Musk has been remarkably open on social media about his life and companies, sharing stories about Tesla's near-failure and its transformation over the years. Maybe that ongoing commentary is the autobiography, just delivered in real time on X.

A more realistic scenario might be that Musk waits until he steps back from Tesla's day-to-day operations before tackling a book project. Otherwise, something's got to give. He could bring in a co-writer, or perhaps let Grok, the chatbot from xAI, handle the heavy lifting. That would certainly be on brand.

Movie First, Book Later?

Before any Musk-penned autobiography hits bookstores, fans might see a big-screen version of his life story. A24 acquired the rights to Isaacson's book, with filmmaker Darren Aronofsky attached to direct. That should make for an interesting interpretation of the world's most unpredictable billionaire.