Visionary Pathways

  Introduction Walter Isaacson only agreed to write Steve Jobs' biography when he learned that Jobs was already dying of cancer. With his striking personality, Jobs approached Isaacson a couple of times since 2004 about the story of his life. It was only in 2009 that the author agreed. At that time, Jobs was already taking his second medical leave. Being a managing editor at Time magazine, Isaacson encountered Jobs several times since 1984. The first time the innovator mentioned his biography to the writer, Isaacson had just successfully released his book on Benjamin Franklin and was working on another about Albert Einstein. Isaacson declined, saying that it was too early as Jobs was still at the peak of his career. It was Jobs' wife, Laurene Powell, who finally changed Isaacson's mind and informed him of the Apple CEO's sickness. Jobs was having his operation for cancer, yet he strived to keep his struggle a secret. What further inspired Isaacson to write this biograp...

Before diving into today's chapter, make sure to read Chapter 5: Elon Musk: Lift-Off to New Heights to follow Elon Musk's journey from the beginning. The Rive Brothers grew up with their cousin Elon Musk in South Africa. Before the dot com bubble, they established the software company Everdream. The brothers were looking for a new venture. Musk suggested that they get into solar energy. At the time, it was hard for consumers to buy and install solar panels. There wasn't a guarantee that the panels would get enough sunshine on their houses. The SolarCity was started by the Rives brothers in 2006. The company had software to determine if solar energy sources are compatible with the property. There would also be a team of SolarCity employees to install the panels. Furthermore, the panels would be on lease on a monthly fixed rate. Musk is the largest shareholder in SolarCity, owning around 30%. After six years, SolarCity became the leading installer of solar panels in the U.S...

  Before diving into today's chapter, make sure to read Chapter 4: Elon Musk: All-Electric Dreams to follow Elon Musk's journey from the beginning. After everything that Musk went through, Falcon 9 successfully made it to space. It carried satellites for nations and companies and delivered supplies to the ISS. Since Falcon 1, Musk has spent a lot of money perfecting the rocket ship. His engineers have worked and failed for years. Now, SpaceX launches one rocket a month, beating its competitors locally and internationally. Other companies rely on foreign suppliers, but SpaceX builds rockets from scratch. The cost per launch is the lowest in the aeronautics industry. Musk and his team of engineers are always looking for ways to make SpaceX rockets even better. The rockets are reusable and can return to Earth, aiming to land back accurately on the launch pad. SpaceX became successful because of Musk's attention to detail and hard work. Musk's ultimate aim is to make spa...

  Before diving into today's chapter, make sure to read Chapter 3: Elon Musk: From PayPal to SpaceX to follow Elon Musk's journey from the beginning. In 2002, talented engineer J.B. Straubel bought a Porsche and transformed it into an electric car. It was a time when there was no movement yet for clean technology. He tried to find investors for his product, but for months, Straubel faced rejection. Finally, he met Elon Musk, who was thrilled about the electric car. Musk brought in his own ideas about batteries and energy storage and agreed to fund Straubel immediately. Their partnership continued for years. Meanwhile, there were two business partners, Martin Eberhard and Marc Tarpenning from Northern California, who were also interested in building electric cars. On July 2003, they founded Tesla Motors , inspired by Nikola Tesla, the inventor of the electric motor. Eberhard and Tarpenning pitched their company to Musk in Los Angeles. They all shared the idea of ending America...

  Before diving into today's chapter, make sure to read Chapter 2: Elon Musk's College Days and First Start-Up to follow Elon Musk's journey from the beginning. Musk turned from a Canadian backpacker to a multi-millionaire in a decade. By age 27, he had acquired $22 million. He bought a huge condominium, a prop plane, and a sports car. Musk drove his McLaren F1 all around Silicon Valley. While an intern, Musk had the idea of Internet banking. He shared it with his seniors, but they did not like it. In the 90s, people were hesitant to purchase books online. No one wanted to enter their credit card numbers on the web. Musk, however, was intent on creating this bank online. He invested $12 million into his new project, called X.com. One of his co-founders said, "That's part of what separates Elon from mere mortals. He's willing to take an insane amount of personal risk. When you do a deal like that, it either pays off or you end up in a bus shelter somewhere....

 Before diving into today's chapter, make sure to read Chapter 1: Elon Musk's Path to Success: Rising from the Dot-Com Rubble to follow Elon Musk's journey from the beginning. Musk had a difficult time in Canada. He arrived with no place to stay and it took him a while to find his relatives. For his 18th birthday, he celebrated with some neighbors and the relatives he had just met. Musk worked odd jobs such as tending vegetables and cutting logs. Later on, Kimbal also arrived in Canada. In 1989, Musk enrolled at Queen's University in Ontario, where he met his ex-wife, Justine Wilson . Justine stood him up for their first date, but Musk was persistent. Justine said, "He can sweep you off your feet." A lot changed for Musk in college. He still talked a lot about space and energy, and his classmates would just laugh it off. Musk found people who shared the same interests. He made extra cash by fixing computers and selling spare parts to his dorm mates. After...

In the year 2000, Silicon Valley and San Francisco were in a slump . The Internet craze had ended, and investors were cautious after the dot-com bubble burst. Silicon Valley was mostly focused on click-ads, while Twitter and Facebook were just starting. Some thought the tech industry had failed, no longer turning science fiction into reality. Elon Musk was part of the dot-com wave . After college, he made $22 million from his company, Zip2 , which was similar to Google Maps. Compaq bought Zip2 in 1999. Musk then invested in a startup called X.com , which later became PayPal . When eBay bought PayPal in 2002, Musk became even richer . Instead of staying in Silicon Valley, Musk moved to Los Angeles. There, he started Tesla, SpaceX, and SolarCity , leading in electric cars, rockets, and solar energy. With these companies, Musk is shaping the future , blending reality with science fiction. Elon Musk stands out from other tech moguls because of his big ideas . He said, " If we can sol...