The Elon Musk Book

No wonder they all drop out of school.

That's right, if you're getting your MBA you're learning how to get along. Those who change the world do not. They're one step ahead of everybody else and frustrated that those behind them don't get it, so they act in mercurial ways and get laughed at...until everybody embraces their creation and lionizes them.

Kind of like the Beatles. They were a joke before they ruled the world. With their long hair and yeah-yeah-yeahs.

My eyes were bugging out as I read Ashlee Vance's tome. Because Elon Musk is all about changing the world. And we see very little of that in the music business anymore. In the arts, money is king. We laud the box office, not the reviews. Stagnation is rampant. But Elon Musk is going for the big reach.

What kind of guy does this?

One from a completely screwed-up background with something to prove.

That's right, America's turned into the land of pussies. Where parents are their kids' best friends and everything is done in a group, no one wants to stand out. But the truth is those who change the world were never included, were never just like everybody else, they got beaten down again and again until they triumphed.

Sure, Elon Musk's dad was an asshole. But he was also picked on at school. And you can get your mommy to go to the principal and complain, but the truth is the bullies will always taunt you, because you're not like them, and everybody wants you to be just like them.

Yesterday the L.A. "Times" ran a front-page story on how Elon's businesses are the beneficiaries of government money. What's the point? That's America. Look at runaway film production, enterprises go where the cash is. But the real story is we pick on the winners, because we just can't believe they've triumphed, we want to bring them down a peg.

So Elon Musk dropped out of a Stanford Ph.D. program, after two days. But he got multiple degrees from Penn, he was educated. That's another thing wrong with the whiners, those who believe they're entitled to bucks. They equate paying dues with doing hard work. So, you worked a day job while your band rehearsed at night. Maybe you'd have been better off getting a degree, challenging yourself. But the truth is the hoi polloi don't want to put in the effort. They need time to watch movies and smoke dope. When the truth is winners have no time, they're working 24/7, jumping off what they've learned at school, which isn't how to run a business, but THINK!

Musk created Zip2, a directory company in the early days of the internet. Eventually sold to Compaq, he lost control after a while, because those with the money, his investors, wanted a more experienced player, who, of course, screwed it up.

And then came PayPal... Yes, that's where Elon made his real bucks, but the truth is his vision for the company far exceeded eBay's, read his explanation in the book, you'll get it. eBay did not, because eBay was run by managers. It's creators we revere, who truly establish value.

And then came SpaceX.

It doesn't get that much press. And that which it does doesn't permeate the public consciousness. Because idiots are diverted by Bruce/Caitlyn Jenner. Who cares what this has-been does, let Caitlyn live in peace. Meanwhile, Musk is generating real products. And he's optimistic.

OPTIMISM! If you lived through the sixties, you remember it. That's what the protests were all about, changing the world, the way things had always been done, from civil rights to the Vietnam war. But the right wing has rewritten the decade, at the same time giving free rein to those who pollute our world and create global warming. Do we need to move to Mars? Electric cars will help our pollution problem.

But Musk is the enemy.

Now if you read this book for tips, forget it. Innovators are born. That's one thing Lady Gaga got right. And if you're born this way you're a leader, you have to be in control. If you wanna work at a company you're a sheep. And we need sheep. But know who you are, don't complain you can't drive if you need someone else to give you directions.

And Elon risked his entire fortune. And almost ran out of money more than once. All in pursuit of his dream.

You want to hoard everything you've got and complain when someone else won't give you the cash you think you're entitled to. Well, not only is there no free lunch, those complaining never win.

Now I'm not saying Elon Musk is flawless. I'm not saying his companies will continue to triumph and we'll all colonize the Red Planet. I'm just saying we need big thinkers in our society. Those not beholden to the rabble-rousers who want to bring you down. We need optimism, not pessimism. And you don't achieve this by eliminating negative speech, by putting on a happy face, but by leaping forward.

I didn't think I cared about space. But we got much more than Tang from NASA. And we're getting much more than cheap rockets from SpaceX and cool cars from Tesla.

Immigrants like Elon Musk not only create jobs, they push our great nation forward because they epitomize its ethos.

So, write your pop ditty, create your dumb app. Look to sell out. Be all about lifestyle.

But the truth is while you're doing this there are a bunch of faceless people who are thinking big, willing to sacrifice their lives in pursuit of the great leap forward. They are the true Americans.

They promised us life-changing art and all we got were superhero movies and pop songs written by committee.

It won't be this way forever.

Change always comes from the outside.

And it is never sold, only bought. If someone is telling you how great they are ignore them. Because we know greatness when we see it, we clamor for it. We want to get closer to it.

And if you don't want to ride a rocket and buy a Tesla after reading this book...

Have fun in your TMZ, Instagram world.

You can build a monument to yourself on social media.

Or you can stop wasting time and change the world.

What are you gonna do?

"Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future": http://amzn.to/1SR3y32


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