Prologue: Muse of Fire
- Discusses Musk’s childhood experiences with bullying and how adversity shaped him
- Explores Musk’s sense of mission and cosmic view
Chapter 1: Adventures
Chapter 2: A Mind of His Own: Pretoria, the 1970s
- Covers Musk’s early childhood in South Africa
- Describes him as a lonely child who was an avid reader
Chapter 3: Life with Father: Pretoria, the 1980s
- Details Musk’s complicated relationship with his father
- Highlights Musk’s early interest in technology and science fiction
Chapter 4: The Seeker: Pretoria, the 1980s
- Discusses Musk’s existential questions and interest in philosophy as a teenager
- Describes his love for science fiction and how it shaped his worldview
Chapter 5: Escape Velocity: Leaving South Africa, 1989
- Covers Musk’s decision to leave South Africa at age 17
- Describes the difficult living situation with his father
Chapter 6: Canada: 1989
- Details Musk’s arrival in Canada with limited funds
- Describes his early experiences and struggles in North America
Chapter 7: Queen’s: Kingston, Ontario, 1990–1991
- Covers Musk’s time at Queen’s University
- Highlights his interest in strategy games and business simulations
Chapter 8: Penn: Philadelphia, 1992–1994
- Describes Musk’s studies at the University of Pennsylvania
- Highlights his focus on physics and business
Chapter 9: Go West: Silicon Valley, 1994–1995
- Covers Musk’s move to Silicon Valley
- Describes his early work experiences and decision to pursue internet ventures
Chapter 10: Zip2: Palo Alto, 1995–1999
- Details the founding and growth of Musk’s first company, Zip2
- Describes the challenges and eventual success of the venture
Chapter 11: Justine: Palo Alto, the 1990s
- Covers Musk’s relationship with his first wife, Justine
- Hints at Musk’s domineering personality in relationships
Chapter 12: X.com: Palo Alto, 1999–2000
- Details the founding of X.com, Musk’s online banking venture
- Describes the merger with PayPal and Musk’s leadership style
Chapter 13: The Coup: PayPal, September 2000
- Covers Musk’s ouster as CEO of PayPal
- Describes the conflicts with other executives and investors
Chapter 14: Mars: SpaceX, 2001
- Describes Musk’s initial interest in space exploration
- Covers the founding of SpaceX and its ambitious goals
Chapter 15: Rocket Man: SpaceX, 2002
- Details the early days of SpaceX
- Describes Musk’s hands-on approach to rocket engineering
Chapter 16: Fathers and Sons: Los Angeles, 2002
- Covers personal events in Musk’s life, including the death of his first child
- Explores Musk’s emotional struggles
Chapter 17: Revving Up: SpaceX, 2002
- Describes the growth of SpaceX
- Highlights Musk’s demanding management style
Chapter 18: Musk’s Rules for Rocket-Building: SpaceX, 2002–2003
- Outlines Musk’s approach to cost-cutting and innovation in rocket design
- Describes his focus on in-house manufacturing
Chapter 19: Mr. Musk Goes to Washington: SpaceX, 2002–2003
- Covers SpaceX’s efforts to secure government contracts
- Describes Musk’s conflicts with established aerospace companies
Chapter 20: Founders: Tesla, 2003–2004
- Details Musk’s initial involvement with Tesla
- Describes the early vision for the company
Chapter 21: The Roadster: Tesla, 2004–2006
- Covers the development of Tesla’s first car, the Roadster
- Highlights Musk’s increasing involvement in the company
Chapter 22: Kwaj: SpaceX, 2005–2006
- Describes SpaceX’s move to launch rockets from Kwajalein Atoll
- Highlights the challenges of operating in a remote location
Chapter 23: Two Strikes: Kwaj, 2006–2007
- Covers SpaceX’s first two failed launch attempts
- Describes Musk’s response to setbacks
Chapter 25: Taking the Wheel: Tesla, 2007–2008
- Details Musk’s increasing control over Tesla
- Describes conflicts with other executives and founders
Chapter 28: Strike Three: Kwaj, August 3, 2008
- Covers SpaceX’s third failed launch attempt
- Describes Musk’s determination to continue despite setbacks
Chapter 29: On the Brink: Tesla and SpaceX, 2008
- Details the financial struggles of both Tesla and SpaceX
- Describes Musk’s personal financial risk and stress
Chapter 30: The Fourth Launch: Kwaj, August–September 2008
- Covers SpaceX’s successful fourth launch attempt
- Describes the importance of this success for the company’s future
Chapter 32: The Model S: Tesla, 2009
- Details the development of Tesla’s Model S
- Highlights Musk’s involvement in design and engineering decisions
Chapter 33: Private Space: SpaceX, 2009–2010
- Covers SpaceX’s efforts to reduce costs in space launches
- Describes the company’s innovative approaches to rocket design
Chapter 34: Falcon 9 Liftoff: Cape Canaveral, 2010
- Details the successful launch of SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket
- Highlights the significance of this achievement
Chapter 36: Manufacturing: Tesla, 2010–2013
- Covers Tesla’s efforts to improve manufacturing processes
- Describes Musk’s hands-on approach to production issues
Chapter 37: Musk and Bezos: SpaceX, 2013–2014
- Compares Musk’s approach to space exploration with that of Jeff Bezos
- Highlights the growing competition between SpaceX and Blue Origin
Chapter 38: The Falcon Hears the Falconer: SpaceX, 2014–2015
- Describes SpaceX’s efforts to develop reusable rockets
- Highlights the technical challenges and innovations involved
Chapter 40: Artificial Intelligence: OpenAI, 2012–2015
- Covers Musk’s growing concerns about AI
- Describes the founding of OpenAI and Musk’s views on AI safety
Chapter 41: The Launch of Autopilot: Tesla, 2014–2016
- Details the development of Tesla’s Autopilot system
- Describes the challenges and controversies surrounding autonomous driving
Chapter 42: Solar: Tesla Energy, 2004–2016
- Covers Tesla’s expansion into solar energy
- Describes the acquisition of SolarCity and development of solar roof tiles
Chapter 45: Descent into the Dark: 2017
- Describes a particularly challenging period for Musk personally and professionally
- Highlights the pressure and stress Musk faced
Chapter 46: Fremont Factory Hell: Tesla, 2018
- Details the production challenges Tesla faced with the Model 3
- Describes Musk’s intense focus on solving manufacturing issues
Note
- The Algorithm
- Question every requirement. Each should come with the name of the person who made it. You should never accept that a requirement came from a department, such as from “the legal department” or “the safety department.” You need to know the name of the real person who made that requirement. Then you should question it, no matter how smart that person is. Requirements from smart people are the most dangerous, because people are less likely to question them. Always do so, even if the requirement came from me. Then make the requirements less dumb.
- Delete any part or process you can. You may have to add them back later. In fact, if you do not end up adding back at least 10% of them, then you didn’t delete enough.
- Simplify and optimize. This should come after step two. A common mistake is to simplify and optimize a part or a process that should not exist.
- Accelerate cycle time. Every process can be speeded up. But only do this after you have followed the first three steps. In the Tesla factory, I mistakenly spent a lot of time accelerating processes that I later realized should have been deleted.
- Automate. That comes last. The big mistake in Nevada and at Fremont was that I began by trying to automate every step. We should have waited until all the requirements had been questioned, parts and processes deleted, and the bugs were shaken out.
Chapter 51: Cybertruck: Tesla, 2018–2019
- Covers the development of Tesla’s Cybertruck
- Highlights Musk’s unconventional design decisions
Chapter 52: Starlink: SpaceX, 2015–2018
- Describes the development of SpaceX’s satellite internet system
- Highlights the ambitious scale of the project
Chapter 53: Starship: SpaceX, 2018–2019
- Covers the development of SpaceX’s Starship rocket
- Describes Musk’s vision for interplanetary travel
Chapter 55: Giga Texas: Tesla, 2020–2021
- Details the construction of Tesla’s Texas factory
- Highlights innovations in manufacturing processes
Chapter 57: Full Throttle: SpaceX, 2020
- Covers SpaceX’s first crewed mission to the International Space Station
- Describes the significance of this achievement for commercial spaceflight
Chapter 58: Bezos vs. Musk, Round 2: SpaceX, 2021
- Compares the approaches of Musk and Bezos in space exploration
- Highlights the growing rivalry between the two entrepreneurs
Chapter 59: Starship Surge: SpaceX, July 2021
- Describes intensive efforts to develop the Starship rocket
- Highlights Musk’s hands-on involvement and demanding leadership style
Chapter 60: Solar Surge: Summer 2021
- Covers efforts to improve Tesla’s solar roof installation process
- Describes Musk’s hands-on approach to solving problems
Chapter 62: Inspiration4: SpaceX, September 2021
- Covers SpaceX’s first all-civilian orbital mission
- Describes the significance of this achievement for space tourism
Chapter 63: Raptor Shake-up: SpaceX, 2021
- Details efforts to improve SpaceX’s Raptor engine
- Describes Musk’s management style and focus on rapid innovation
Chapter 67: Money: 2021–2022
- Discusses Musk’s approach to wealth and motivation
- Highlights his tendency to seek out challenges and drama
Chapter 69: Politics: 2020–2022
- Covers Musk’s increasing involvement in political discussions
- Describes his approach to strategy, influenced by video games
Chapter 71: Bill Gates: 2022
- Describes a conflict between Musk and Bill Gates over Tesla stock
- Highlights differences in their approaches to business and philanthropy
Chapter 73: “I made an offer”: Twitter, April 2022
- Covers Musk’s initial offer to buy Twitter
- Describes his motivations for wanting to acquire the platform
Chapter 77: Optimus Prime: Tesla, 2021–2022
- Details Tesla’s efforts to develop a humanoid robot
- Describes Musk’s vision for the future of robotics
Chapter 82: The Takeover: Twitter, Thursday, October 27, 2022
- Covers Musk’s acquisition of Twitter
- Describes his immediate actions upon taking control of the company
Chapter 83: The Three Musketeers: Twitter, October 26–30, 2022
- Describes the team Musk assembled to run Twitter
- Highlights their unconventional backgrounds and approaches
Chapter 86: Blue Checks: Twitter, November 2–10, 2022
- Covers changes to Twitter’s verification system under Musk
- Describes the chaos and controversy surrounding these changes
Chapter 88: Hardcore: Twitter, November 18–30, 2022
- Describes Musk’s efforts to reshape Twitter’s culture and workforce
- Highlights his demanding management style
Chapter 89: Miracles: Neuralink, November 2022
- Covers developments at Musk’s neural interface company, Neuralink
- Describes Musk’s vision for human-AI integration
Chapter 90: The Twitter Files: Twitter, December 2022
- Covers the release of internal Twitter documents about content moderation
- Describes the controversy and debates surrounding these revelations
Chapter 93: AI for Cars: Tesla, 2022–2023
- Details Tesla’s efforts to improve its self-driving technology
- Describes Musk’s focus on AI and data collection
Chapter 94: AI for Humans: X.AI, 2023
- Covers Musk’s launch of a new AI company
- Describes his concerns about AI safety and development
Chapter 95: The Starship Launch: SpaceX, April 2023
- Describes the first launch attempt of SpaceX’s Starship rocket
- Highlights Musk’s approach to risk-taking and innovation