I chose to read the autobiography on Elon Musk, as I already had read a number of articles about this entrepreneur and have much knowledge about him.
1) What surprised me the most?: Honestly, what surprised me the most was how quickly he dropped out of a very prestigious PhD program at Stanford University. He dropped out very shortly after enrolling to develop a web based company during the early years of internet boom. This company was his first of many successes and sold to create his first small fortune. I was surprised at the chance Musk took in leaving school for the unknown in web development. (chapter 4)
2) What about the entrepreneur do you most admire? I admire Elon's drive to be a success. No matter how much money he made in all of his earlier endeavors, he always put all of the money he made into his latest projects and was willing to risk his name and fortune to succeed. That go getter attitude is why he is who he is.
3) What about the entrepreneur do you least admire? There is one thing that I do not admire about Elon Musk. I feel as though he takes too much on his plate. He is the current CEO of multiple companies. It seems like he is taking too much at one time. He seems to be focusing on Space X right now very much, while he doesn't spend too much time focusing on Tesla. This has to be what I admire least about him.
4) Failures or Adversity: The aspect of Musk's life that portrays adversity the most seems to be the time he dropped out of the prestigious PhD program that he was accepted into to join the harsh business world. Going through with the PhD program would have been guaranteed success on the researching level, however he aspired for more. This could be considered adversity because he went through trial and tribulation to try to reach farther as opposed to just going through the education route. This move was looked on critically, however it worked out for him. (chapter 4)
5) Competencies: I noted that the entrepreneur has degrees in both economics and physics from the University of Pennsylvania. So not only is he competent in a science based on consumer preferences and the shifts of markets, but also in the science of the physical world. He has used these competencies to develop an engineering empire. (chapter 3)
6) Identify one part of the reading that was confusing for you: There was not much within the book that I did not understand or find confusing. However, in the pages 39-41 of the novel you learn about the ZIP2 original project that was Musk's first startup after college. It becomes really technical about that company around those pages and speaks about people that we had not been introduced to yet, and that is what I found to be the most confusing aspect of the book.
7) 2 questions: If i could ask Elon musk 2 questions, the first question would be (since I am a pre-law student) how has the legal aspects of starting a major company changed from the time he started ZIP2 to the time he started SPACEX and TESLA. I would ask that question because of my interest in corporate law and the legal aspects of companies. The second question I would ask Elon would be what he sees as his biggest impact on the tech world so far in his career. I would ask this question because I want to dive into Elon's mind about which of his companies he considers to be his greatest.
8) I feel as though Elon Musk clearly values hard work, if he had not worked hard he would not have amassed a near 25 billion dollar net worth and multiple engineering empires. He clearly values hard work. I share the same value of hard work. I have tried to match his work ethic since I was a young boy and it is a constant struggle.
1) What surprised me the most?: Honestly, what surprised me the most was how quickly he dropped out of a very prestigious PhD program at Stanford University. He dropped out very shortly after enrolling to develop a web based company during the early years of internet boom. This company was his first of many successes and sold to create his first small fortune. I was surprised at the chance Musk took in leaving school for the unknown in web development. (chapter 4)
2) What about the entrepreneur do you most admire? I admire Elon's drive to be a success. No matter how much money he made in all of his earlier endeavors, he always put all of the money he made into his latest projects and was willing to risk his name and fortune to succeed. That go getter attitude is why he is who he is.
3) What about the entrepreneur do you least admire? There is one thing that I do not admire about Elon Musk. I feel as though he takes too much on his plate. He is the current CEO of multiple companies. It seems like he is taking too much at one time. He seems to be focusing on Space X right now very much, while he doesn't spend too much time focusing on Tesla. This has to be what I admire least about him.
4) Failures or Adversity: The aspect of Musk's life that portrays adversity the most seems to be the time he dropped out of the prestigious PhD program that he was accepted into to join the harsh business world. Going through with the PhD program would have been guaranteed success on the researching level, however he aspired for more. This could be considered adversity because he went through trial and tribulation to try to reach farther as opposed to just going through the education route. This move was looked on critically, however it worked out for him. (chapter 4)
5) Competencies: I noted that the entrepreneur has degrees in both economics and physics from the University of Pennsylvania. So not only is he competent in a science based on consumer preferences and the shifts of markets, but also in the science of the physical world. He has used these competencies to develop an engineering empire. (chapter 3)
6) Identify one part of the reading that was confusing for you: There was not much within the book that I did not understand or find confusing. However, in the pages 39-41 of the novel you learn about the ZIP2 original project that was Musk's first startup after college. It becomes really technical about that company around those pages and speaks about people that we had not been introduced to yet, and that is what I found to be the most confusing aspect of the book.
7) 2 questions: If i could ask Elon musk 2 questions, the first question would be (since I am a pre-law student) how has the legal aspects of starting a major company changed from the time he started ZIP2 to the time he started SPACEX and TESLA. I would ask that question because of my interest in corporate law and the legal aspects of companies. The second question I would ask Elon would be what he sees as his biggest impact on the tech world so far in his career. I would ask this question because I want to dive into Elon's mind about which of his companies he considers to be his greatest.
8) I feel as though Elon Musk clearly values hard work, if he had not worked hard he would not have amassed a near 25 billion dollar net worth and multiple engineering empires. He clearly values hard work. I share the same value of hard work. I have tried to match his work ethic since I was a young boy and it is a constant struggle.
Hey Nick,
ReplyDeleteI also read the book on Musk, great read on a great person. I found it fascinating as well that he would take the leas to quit the PhD route in Stanford to start his business venture. Having that vision and awareness of what is happening around you is important as an entrepreneur because if he had stuck with his PhD route he would've been doing research for more years and might have missed his shot to hop on the tech boom of the late 90's.