A few years before he died, my father complained to me "You called me a bastard". This was when I was a teenager. My reply to him was "That's because you were."
Like many people, perhaps indicative of the baby boomer generation, I set out to give my kids, the love and attention that I didn't get. Sure I made mistakes along the way, but I acknowledged them and apologised for them. I spent years estranged from my father. I see my adult kids and grandkids all the time. Maybe Musk's personality traits can be attributed to his upbringing, or maybe like my father, it's a combination of nurture, high IQ and low EQ, which is not uncommon. Maybe he is also a genius as a consequence of his upbringing. Perhaps the book will help in figuring it out. To be successful, you don't have to be a nice guy, but it helps imho
I'll be interested in your thoughts about the book.
fyi, it's been widely panned by those who know Musk for its largely uncritical "Musk-stanning" and blame-shifting of Musk's endless cruel and harmful decisions onto his equally cruel father, as though Musk had little agency as a grown adult.
Many people suffered from difficult childhoods...they don't actively seek to bully and harm others. You are proof of this claim.
So far, I do think that it shows plenty of examples of Musk being unreasonably brutal to his employees. He just doesn't have any empathy, or at least not a significant amount.
I do think Isaacson presents those cases, however, I can see how some people may think he's using his upbringing as an excuse. He does start the book with an anecdote from Musk's childhood that sets the tone for the entire book.
To your point, just because someone had a difficult childhood, it does not excuse their actions as an adult,
A few years before he died, my father complained to me "You called me a bastard". This was when I was a teenager. My reply to him was "That's because you were."
Like many people, perhaps indicative of the baby boomer generation, I set out to give my kids, the love and attention that I didn't get. Sure I made mistakes along the way, but I acknowledged them and apologised for them. I spent years estranged from my father. I see my adult kids and grandkids all the time. Maybe Musk's personality traits can be attributed to his upbringing, or maybe like my father, it's a combination of nurture, high IQ and low EQ, which is not uncommon. Maybe he is also a genius as a consequence of his upbringing. Perhaps the book will help in figuring it out. To be successful, you don't have to be a nice guy, but it helps imho
Thank you for sharing your story, your vulnerability, and the wisdom you learn. It’s is a beautiful gift to all of us.
Thank you so much.
I'll be interested in your thoughts about the book.
fyi, it's been widely panned by those who know Musk for its largely uncritical "Musk-stanning" and blame-shifting of Musk's endless cruel and harmful decisions onto his equally cruel father, as though Musk had little agency as a grown adult.
Many people suffered from difficult childhoods...they don't actively seek to bully and harm others. You are proof of this claim.
So far, I do think that it shows plenty of examples of Musk being unreasonably brutal to his employees. He just doesn't have any empathy, or at least not a significant amount.
I do think Isaacson presents those cases, however, I can see how some people may think he's using his upbringing as an excuse. He does start the book with an anecdote from Musk's childhood that sets the tone for the entire book.
To your point, just because someone had a difficult childhood, it does not excuse their actions as an adult,