How do you take the full measure of an increasingly troubled figure whose life’s work and legacy still hang in the balance? At stake is not just Musk’s place in history, but also his place in the present and future. If Isaacson fails to pin that down in a satisfying way, it might be because Musk is such a fast-moving target, and Isaacson prioritized revealing anecdotes and behind-the-scenes reportage over a sophisticated critical lens.

As we learn throughout the book, the Musks are persistent fabulists, prone to embellishment and fabrication, and this becomes the first of many narrative sequences that the reader must consider with an eye to truth versus narrative convenience.

A book that can scarcely contain its subject, in that it raises infinitely more questions than it answers.

An engaging chronicle.

The author tries to make sense of the billionaire entrepreneur he has shadowed for two years.

Does a good job hammering home the portrayal of the SpaceX founder and now owner of X — formerly Twitter — as a visionary but mercurial figure who’s given to mood swings and self-destructive behavior. It’s a familiar descriptor for Musk’s fans and detractors, but Isaacson’s biography still offers plenty of revealing details about the tech mogul.

Doesn’t contain much in the way of genuine revelation, because Musk himself, while volatile, isn’t especially deep or complicated.

Reading the book is like hearing what Musk’s many accomplishments and scandals would sound like from the perspective of his therapist, if he ever sought one out.

Isaacson divides Musk into two men: the cruel boss who, in his increasingly conspiratorial public statements and appalling treatment of women, resembles Errol; and the other Musk, a visionary genius.

In Isaacson’s narrative, Musk’s social downfall is part of his Shakespearean hubris, the tragic flaw that drives him to continually inflict pain on himself.

One of the merits of Isaacson’s book is the way he delves into how these formidable organisations came into being. It’s clear from his account that none of them would have happened without Musk’s distinctive combination of vision, maniacal determination, personal commitment and ruthlessness..

Isaacson has a taste for crisp chapters that are often four or five pages long, and interleaves episodes from Musk’s career with snapshots of his most intimate relationships.

Dull, insight-free.

Isaacson has a tendency to see bad behaviour by Silicon Valley titans as being part and parcel of What Great Men Must Do in order to change the world.

Alternately admiring and critical, unvarnished, and a closely detailed account of a troubled innovator..