ELON MUSK

A profile of a neglected South African immigrant who grew up to become one of the world’s richest and most driven men.

In the interests of, apparently, maintaining a positive tone, Allen highlights his subject’s “intense curiosity about the world,” cites comparisons to Marvel billionaire superhero Tony Stark, and writes about his “magic”—while downplaying Musk’s well-documented homophobic outbursts and unkept projections and promises. The strain proves particularly telling when a comment about his supposed ability to inspire “tremendous loyalty in his staff members” is immediately followed by an account of his mass firings at Twitter and later references to his abrasive style and further employee exoduses. Not to mention his as yet unfulfilled promise from December 2022 to step down as Twitter’s CEO, which is where this biography ends. He is, though, as billed, a maverick with wide-ranging interests who really seems to be focused on making genuinely life-altering products, such as electric cars and Mars rockets. His private life goes nearly unexamined here, but readers, after a concise record of his rise and business achievements, will find both the narrative and the substantial source lists at the end useful. The book is illustrated with a sparse set of stock photos.

A capable, if not very probing, update most suitable for background research.