Reading Reflection

Assignment 13A

For this assignment, I read Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future by Ashlee Vance. I was surprised, for some reason, at Musk’s level of commitment to his projects. The companies he founded, Tesla and SpaceX, have become his greatest accomplishments. He commits fully to making the most sustainable automobiles he can, with Tesla, while striving to understand how to expand human life and consciousness to another planet, with SpaceX. His determination towards his goals is what I admire most about him, although it could have some downsides. That same determination could translate into stubbornness that blinds him from pursuing different options or different goals. Like any successful entrepreneur, Musk has encountered failure. Many of his early endeavors crashed and burned, including the early form of what is known today as PayPal. Instead of letting his failures bring him down, he used them to empower him and kept on going.  Some competencies of his are his determination toward his goals and the passion that drives him. A part of the reading that was confusing to me was the way it would sometimes mention some of his endeavors and then not go into detail about them. If I could ask two question to Musk, I would ask: Where do you see technology going in the next 50 years? If your plans for these companies didn’t work out, what would your backup plans be? Musk’s opinion of hard work is that it is essential to achieving your goal. I share this view as well.