Elon Musk announces he is writing a book about Tesla and SpaceX

Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk announced via Twitter that he will be writing a book about the two companies’ stories. The long and tumultuous story of Musk’s endeavor of running an automaker and a space program at the same time will be told by the man who experienced it himself.

Up until now, only one book has been written about Musk’s story with his consent: a biography composed by Ashlee Vance, published in 2015. The book, titled “Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future,” tells the story of Musk’s life from his childhood, through the Zip2 and PayPal days, and continuing to the early success and trials of the entrepreneur at Tesla and SpaceX.

Interestingly, Musk sat down with Vance to discuss the book prior to writing. Vance said that he shared a meal with Musk to talk about what portions of Musk’s life would be included in the book. Ultimately, Vance wanted to write the story with no interruptions or gaps in space, and Musk allowed it.

Time to tell the story of Tesla & SpaceX

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 6, 2021

However, Musk has some knowledge that many of us have likely never heard. The early days of Tesla and SpaceX were likely the hardest of his life as he tried to balance finances and projects to make both companies successful. It was an endeavor that nearly drove Musk to a “nervous breakdown,” he said in an interview with 60 Minutes.

While many Musk interviews have been open about the prospect of what he experienced during those days, lengthy interviews regarding his personal life and the trying times of 2008 are hard to come by. Condensed versions of the story can be found in many places, but Musk himself is ready to detail it in his own book.

Yes

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 6, 2021

Additionally, Tesla and SpaceX have both grown considerably since the Vance biography was released in 2015. Tesla has released two new mass-market cars, with the Model 3’s early manufacturing days being described as “production hell” by Musk. Additionally, SpaceX has launched a variety of new products and projects, like Starlink, a worldwide internet service that aims to be affordable for everyone on the planet.

The stories Musk will tell in his new book will likely be some of the most interesting the Tesla community has ever heard, and the world will likely read as well. Vance’s biography of Musk was declared one of the best books of 2015 by numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal and Amazon.com. It spent several months on the New York Times bestseller list and has been translated into 40 different languages.