POWER PLAY

A Wall Street Journal tech and auto reporter probes the evolution and histrionics of Tesla and its eccentric billionaire leader.

Higgins begins with the inception of Tesla Motors in 2003 by American engineer Martin Eberhard and his longtime friend, tech entrepreneur Marc Tarpenning, who both wanted to manufacture fuel-efficient sports cars. An early investor in the endeavor, Elon Musk soon joined the company ranks as CEO and fostered multiple rounds of investments from entrepreneurs eager to cash in on his goal to create affordable electric vehicles. With Musk consistently commanding center stage, Higgins chronicles Tesla’s prototype-to-production line, from the Roadster to its Model S, X, and 3 series. Each vehicle embodied intrinsic challenges involving battery production, transmission functionality, and funding—not to mention Musk’s nano-management style and wild Twitter storms, which had been highly criticized since he was ousted from PayPal. Boastful, stubborn, and ego-driven, Musk persevered despite the precarious state of Tesla’s financial health. The company burned through hundreds of millions of dollars each year and often faced dire bankruptcy projections despite a surge of preorders and Musk’s promises to deliver the Model 3. Higgins shows that while these financial and innovation issues seemed fatal to the company’s market longevity, a series of sudden, mostly monetized interventions changed the odds in their favor in what became a “defining feature of the Tesla narrative.” While Musk’s slick tech wizardry and visionary “startup gumption” butted heads with Tesla’s more grounded core of engineers, the company’s success was evident as the Model 3 became the defining product in its line. The author effectively combines his well-honed journalistic skills with revealing perspectives from industry observers, frustrated Tesla staff, futuristic engineers, and Musk himself, creating a spirited report on a company consistently embroiled in a swirl of melodrama and controversy. For an even fuller picture of the Musk aura, pair this one with Eric Berger’s Liftoff.

Readers fascinated by the hype of Tesla history will find a gold mine of facts and foibles in this immersive analysis.