ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

FROM A PROCESS PERSPECTIVE, this will always be two books instead of one in my mind. There’s the time Before Elon, and the time After Elon.

The first eighteen months or so of reporting were filled with tension, sorrow, and joy. As mentioned in the main text, Musk initially opted against helping me with the project. This left me going from interview subject to interview subject, giving a huge windup each time to try to talk an ex-Tesla employee or an old schoolmate into an interview. The highs came when people agreed to talk. The lows came when key people said no and to not bother them again. String four or five of those no’s together in a row, and it felt at times like writing a proper book about Musk was impossible.

The thing that keeps you going is that a few people do say yes and then a few more, and—interview by interview—you start to figure out how the past fits together. I’ll be forever grateful to the hundreds of people who were willing to give freely of their time and especially to those who let me come back again and again with questions. There are too many of these people to list, but gracious souls—like Jeremy Hollman, Kevin Brogan, Dave Lyons, Ali Javidan, Michael Colonno, and Dolly Singh—each provided invaluable insights and abundant technical help. Heartfelt thanks go as well to Martin Eberhard and Marc Tarpenning, both of whom added crucial, rich parts to the Tesla story.

Even in this Before Elon period, Musk did permit some of his closer friends to speak with me, and they were generous with their time and intellect. That’s a special thanks then to George Zachary and Shervin Pishevar, and especially to Bill Lee, Antonio Gracias, and Steve Jurvetson, who really went out of their way for Musk and for me. And I obviously owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to Justine Musk, Maye Musk, Kimbal Musk, Peter Rive, Lyndon Rive, Russ Rive, and Scott Haldeman for their time and for letting me hear some of the family stories. Talulah Riley was kind enough to let me interview her and keep prying into her husband’s life. She really brought out some aspects of Musk’s personality that I had not encountered elsewhere, and she helped build a much deeper understanding of him. This meant a lot to me, and, I think, it will to the readers as well.

Once Musk agreed to work with me, much of the tension that accompanied the reporting went away and was replaced by excitement. I got access to people like JB Straubel, Franz von Holzhausen, Diarmuid O’Connell, Tom Mueller, and Gwynne Shotwell, who are all among the most intelligent and compelling figures I’ve run into during years of reporting. I’m forever grateful for their patience explaining bits of company history and technological basics to me and for their candor. Thanks as well to Emily Shanklin, Hannah Post, Alexis Georgeson, Liz Jarvis-Shean, and John Taylor, for dealing with my constant requests and pestering, and for setting up so many interviews at Musk’s companies. Mary Beth Brown, Christina Ra, and Shanna Hendriks were no longer part of Musk Land near the end of my reporting but were all amazing in helping me learn about Musk, Tesla, and SpaceX.

My biggest debt of gratitude, of course, goes to Musk. When we first started doing the interviews, I would spend the hours leading up to our chats full of nerves. I never knew how long Musk would keep participating in the project. He might have given me one interview or ten. There was real pressure to get my most crucial questions answered up front and to be to the point in my initial interviewing. As Musk stuck around, though, the conversations went longer, were more fluid, and became more enlightening. They were the things I most looked forward to every month. Whether Musk will change the course of human history in a massive way remains to be seen, but it was certainly a thrilling privilege to get to pick the brain of someone who is reaching so high. While reticent at first, once Musk committed to the project, he committed fully, and I’m thankful and honored that things turned out that way.

On a professional front, I’d like to thank my editors and coworkers over the years—China Martens, James Niccolai, John Lettice, Vindu Goel, and Suzanne Spector—each of whom taught me different lessons about the craft of writing. Special thanks go to Andrew Orlowski, Tim O’Brien, Damon Darlin, Jim Aley, and Drew Cullen, who have had the most impact on how I think about writing and reporting and are among the best mentors anyone could hope for. I must also offer up infinite thanks to Brad Wieners and Josh Tyrangiel, my bosses at Bloomberg Businessweek, for giving me the freedom to pursue this project. I doubt there are two people doing more to support quality journalism.

A special brand of thanks goes to Brad Stone, my colleague at the New York Times and then at Businessweek. Brad helped me shape the idea for this book, coaxed me through dark times, and was an unrivaled sounding board. I feel bad for pestering Brad so incessantly with my questions and doubts. Brad is a model colleague, always there to help anyone with advice or to step up and take on work. He’s an amazing writer and an incredible friend.

Thanks as well to Keith Lee and Sheila Abichandani Sandfort. They are two of the brightest, kindest, most genuine people I know, and their feedback on the early text was invaluable.

My agent David Patterson and editor Hilary Redmon were instrumental in helping pull this project off. David always seemed to say the right thing at low moments to pick up my spirits. Frankly, I doubt the book would have happened without the encouragement and momentum he provided during the initial part of the project. Once things got going, Hilary talked me through the trickiest moments and elevated the book to an unexpected place. She tolerated my hissy fits and made dramatic improvements to the writing. It’s wonderful to finish something like this and come out the other side with a pair of such good friends. Thanks so much to you both.

Last, I have to thank my family. This book turned into a living, breathing creature that made life difficult on my family for more than two years. I didn’t get to see my young boys as much as I would have liked during this time, but when I did they were there with energizing smiles and hugs. I’m thankful that they both seem to have picked up an interest in rockets and cars as a result of this project. As for my wife, Melinda, well, she was a saint. From a practical perspective, this book could not have happened without her support. Melinda was my best reader and ultimate confidante. She was that best friend who knew when to try to energize me and when to let things go. Even though this book disrupted our lives for a long while, it brought us closer together in the end. I’m blessed to have such a partner, and I will forever remember what Melinda did for our family.