Walter Isaacson, known for his biographies on some of history’s most influential individuals, from Steve Jobs to Albert Einstein, has now turned his attention to Elon Musk. The critical biography Elon Musk, written after closely observing the Tesla CEO, was published on September 13th in the United States, Korea, and 32 other countries.

According to U.S. mass media reports on September 7th, despite being in the pre-order period, the biography had already claimed the top spot on Amazon’s charts.

Walter Isaacson spent two years trailing Elon Musk and conducting in-depth interviews. The writer delved into  Musk’s public and private life, including his unpredictable personalities, his three unstable marriages, and his risk-seeking work style. Isaacson vividly depicted Musk’s complicated traits by not only interviewing him but also tycoons of Silicon Valley such as Jeff Bezos and Bill Gates, colleagues who shared honor and hardships with him, family, and former spouses.

As Isaacson referred prior to the book’s release, a substantial portion of its content focuses on Musk’s childhood. Raised in South Africa, Musk faced bullying and physical attacks from his peers. He also endured abuse by his father. These childhood scars continued to influence Musk while he grew older, contributing to his well-known intensity and unwavering sense of purpose and determination to achieve a goal. 

Whenever Musk was beaten up, he would envision himself as a hero saving the world, and blocked out his emotions. This sober and rational disposition was displayed as an advantage in the entrepreneurial aspect, allowing Musk to conceive groundbreaking ideas such as electric vehicles and space exploration. Musk looked back on his childhood wounds, stating, “It led me to have a high pain threshold.”

Isaacson asserted, “This book begins by delving into Musk’s unfortunate childhood in South Africa. Today he stands as the most interesting figure on Earth.