What Makes Musk Special?
I was having lunch with my friend Jim Grady. Jim worked with me back in the early eighties. He was so taken by the culture, speed, and success of the startup we were a part of that he decided he wanted to be an entrepreneur. Over the years, I’ve backed Jim in the companies he’s created. I have great respect for Jim. There is never a shortage of vision, ideas, and personal sacrifice with him.
Over lunch, we were talking about electric cars. Jim said, “Elon Musk is something else. The guy created four multi-billion-dollar startups. More importantly, he is changing the world.”
Depending on the day, I’ve been both amazed and critical of Musk.
Jim, whom I admire as a real entrepreneur, admires Elon Musk. Why?
I wanted to know what makes this Musk guy tick. I went home and bought the book Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future.
I saw 13 things that make Musk stand apart.
Intelligence clearly above average. Achieved an A grade in everything he pursued. If it wasn’t interesting, he didn’t care.
Photographic memory. If he read it, he owned it.
Incredible ability to focus without any distractions, even under immense pressure. In fact, the greater the pressure, the more focused and effective he became.
Always reading and learning. He reads a mix of fiction and nonfiction. As a kid, when his local library in South Africa ran out of books for him to read, he read the entire Encyclopedia Britannica. Ideas for changing the world came early in his life. In high school, Musk was captured by the potential of harnessing solar energy and colonizing other planets. These thoughts and early learning guided him throughout his life.
Imagination and the ability to communicate. Musk shares ideas that will revolutionize society. He keeps people captivated and inspired. But then...
Takes action. When he had an idea, he took action. If the idea had no clear next step, he would do something that might move him to the next step. For example, after PayPal, he decided to get into space travel, so he moved from SF to LA to be closer to the knowledge and industry centers of space and aviation. He then...
Surrounds himself with the world’s top thinkers in an area so he can refine his ideas. He never had the breadth of experience necessary to build his next company. But he made sure he was surrounded by people who did. He would then explode their thinking, and together they would begin working on world-changing ideas.
Deep desire for meaning. To do something lasting. Legacy thinker at a young age. He wants to do something that makes a difference. Big thinker, big difference.
Money was a means, not an end. The money came easily and was spent easily, but always toward the achievement of big ideas. It was about the long-term vision of what he was creating. The result was always more important than the people. Despite this, people wanted to be part of it because they knew it was a world-changing mission. They would endure the harshness and criticism. The mission was worth it.
Believer in promotion. It is not enough to plan or do. The project or new company must gain press. People need to know.
Big ego. He liked the idea of becoming Time’s Man of the Year.
He is all in. Every dollar he has and every ounce of intellect and energy. All in. So many people in the book say, “I’ll never bet against him.”
Musk demonstrated all these traits before he was 18.
Musk is pretty amazing. In fact, he is downright impressive. I am a fan of entrepreneurs. This guy sets the bar.
Entrepreneurs see it. They see the unseeable.
Entrepreneurs make it. They do whatever it takes to make the vision a reality.
Entrepreneurs sell it. First to investors. Then to customers.
That’s Musk.