13A – Reading Reflection No. 1
· Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a
Fantastic Future, Ashlee Vance
o
What
surprised me most:
§
Before reading Vance’s biography I knew a little
bit about Musk. I knew he was a very determined man who really wanted to make a
change for more than a monetary gain. However, one of the things I wasn’t very
informed about was the extent to his determination. He never stopped working
and consistently put in a massive amount of hours each week in order to get to
where he is now.
o
What I
admired the most:
§
I often have trouble motivating myself to get
things done on time or to get ahead in my schedule. Many things that are difficult
or time consuming get pushed away through procrastination and Elon Musk
embodies the opposite of that mindset.
o
What I
least admired:
§
While I definitely understand why it’s necessary
for Mr. Musk to be difficult and very demanding of those he works with and
over, I think that there should be some sort of way to do this as nice as
possible. I don’t like how incredibly smart and successful powerhouses like
Zuckerberg, Jobs, and musk are often highly condescending.
o
Adversity
and Failure endured:
§
While it’s not entirely confirmed by any means,
it is believed that Musk is a product of an abusive father. This might be his
way of trying to make up for a broken childhood. He also had many situations in
which it wasn’t quite clear whether or not his start-ups would make it.
o
What
competencies does Elon Musk have?:
§
Musk has the same incredible knowledge and
determination as other leading technology advancers however is goals are
aligned very differently. Many people are worried about how to make the most
money and with creating products and services that will allow a lucrative
return. Musk, on the other hand, is attempting to further the human race. His
ultimate goal is to colonize Mars and he wants to do so in order to further or
save humanity rather than to buy more cars or other materials.
o
What was
confusing to me?:
§
The most confusing thing to me was how long and
hard Musk worked each and every day. I find myself getting groggy after
continuous hours of work and figure that the most efficient way for me to
continue getting more work done would be a quick power nap or caffeine. If not,
I end up putting in a large amount of time that was either sloppy or completely
wasted where as it seems like Musk’s time is constantly well spent.
o
What
would I ask Musk?:
§
If I had the ability to ask Elon Musk a
question, I think I’d ask him if he would take me to space when he gets it all
figured out. Asking him questions about how to be like him or how to improve
myself are futile as there’s plenty of videos on the internet of him explaining
similar questions.
o
Hard
Work?:
§
Elon Musk’s philosophy on hard work is simply to
work harder than everyone else. If everyone else works 40 hour weeks and you
work 80-100 hours each week you can accomplish in 6 months what they accomplish
in a whole year.
