Reading Reflection No. 1 - Assignment 13A

The book I chose was Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future by Ashlee Vance.

1a) What surprised you the most?

The thing that surprised me the most was that Musk had visions to make humans a multi-planetary species as a student. I am entering my third year in college and couldn't imagine doing such a thing. Musk has taken it upon himself to make this happen. He is currently working on ways to get humans to live on other planets. He plans to get humans living elsewhere within his lifetime. This goal of his has been brewing ever since his days in school and this is absolutely incredible to me.
1b) What about the entrepreneur did you most admire?

I admired Musk's persistence to innovate despite his critics telling him he is crazy. After the Silicon Valley collapse when professionals in the industry began to settle for subtle improvements, Elon's visions never wavered and he never lost faith in his ability to accomplish what he set out to do as a child. Even when his closest companions called him crazy for not changing his approach, he disregarded the criticisms and pursued his business endeavors even harder.
1c) What about the entrepreneur did you least admire?

After reading about the revolutionary business man, it occurred to me that he may have been too harsh on some of his workers throughout his tenure at companies like SpaceX and Tesla. Whenever someone would criticize his work or vision, Musk would have a tendency to fire those people. Some of these people stuck by Musk's side through thick and thin over the years. However, when they tried to advise him to pull back on something they didn't agree with, Musk would kick them off his team because he wanted to be surrounded with like-minded individuals. The tendency of Musk to be so harsh on people who simply wanted to steer him clear of trouble was not so admirable to me.
1d) Did the entrepreneur encounter adversity and failure? If so, what did they do about it?

Elon Musk has encountered adversity throughout his tenure at SpaceX and Tesla, but he managed to save his companies from failing due to his wits and relentless pursuit of success. Musk invested millions of dollars into his companies SpaceX and Tesla. He had so much invested including his reputation; therefore, he refused to let these companies fail. In 2008, Musk faced the financial crisis as he was already blowing through tons of money on his quest to send people to space and make cars fully electric. Many people told Musk he could only save one of his two companies at the time of the financial crisis. No one thought he could make it out alive with both companies, but Musk didn't listen to outsiders. Even though no one thought he could do it, Elon was able to successfully put together enough money (through strategic business decisions) to finance Tesla and then get a large government contract deal done for SpaceX. Musk avoided failure by being resilient in the face of adversity.

2) What competencies did you notice that the entrepreneur exhibited?

Musk has exhibited great leadership and unmatched resiliency/determination throughout his tenure at SpaceX and Tesla. These competencies have enabled Musk to accomplish things that no other business man has ever fathomed. His ability to lead and motivate people is why he was able to survive the financial crisis with both companies. He encouraged others on his team to stay on the track they set out for and to believe in themselves. As a result of his leadership, his followers believed their jobs at SpaceX and Tesla would be safe as long as Musk was in charge. People believed in him, and he proved them right.

3) Identify at least one part of the reading that was confusing to you.

I thought the read was relatively easy in that the author explained everything well except for one thing I didn't quite understand. The one part of the reading that I wish was explained more was why Musk would risk his reputation after his success at PayPal to save both of his companies. I understand that they were his babies, but wouldn't he rather save one than risk losing both? I never quite understood the thought-process here. Even though it turned out alright for Musk and he looked like a genius for saving both companies. I want to know more about why he would risk it all back in 2008. I would think such a smart business man would choose to focus his attention one one company during that time rather than split his attention between the two.

4) If you were able to ask two questions to the entrepreneur, what would you ask? Why?

Which company, SpaceX or Tesla, would you save today if you had to choose between the two? I would be interested to see if he cares more about his electric cars or sending people to other planets.

Why don't you delete your social media accounts to avoid regulatory conflicts? As of late, Elon has used Twitter a couple different times to tweet about confidential business information. His tweets have resulted is regulatory consequences and he doesn't seem to be able to control his problems on social media. I'd love to know why he hasn't deleted his Twitter yet.

5) For fun: what do you think the entrepreneur's opinion was of hard work? Do you share that opinion?

I think Elon's opinion of hard work is that it plays a vital role in becoming successful. I don't believe Musk thinks hard work is optional. Considering he has made his fortune and become one of the biggest names in business through hard work and dedication, he would be the first to tell you that hard work is a necessity. I also think hard work is a necessity. In order to achieve something, one must put forth a significant amount of effort on their own time. No one can be successful without a drive to be great.