13A- Reading Reflection No. 1

1) You read about an entrepreneur:

I chose to read the book "Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the quest for a fantastic future" by Ashlee Vance. The book talks about the life of Elon Musk and how he came to be where he is today. From selling PayPal to building the empire he has today with his rocket company as well as his electric car company.

What Surprised You the Most?

I will have to say what surprised me the most was also what I respected the most. Elon Musk said that he was never driven by money, rather he was driven by ideas. I think that is very interesting as that is probably why he has been so successful. 

What about the Entrepreneur Did You Most Admire?

Well as I stated above, I think that it is really awesome that he was never focused on the money, he was more focused on the ideas. But aside from that, I what I admire most about Elon Musk is his work ethic. In the book, it talks about how Elon Musk moved to Canada from South Africa when he was only seventeen years old. When he made the move, he was so poor, he barely had enough money to feed himself. As we read on, it states how Musk worked all sorts of jobs to make ends meet, from cleaning boiler rooms to chopping wood. He worked hard and in every way he could to be able to afford to even go to college. Later on down the road, he continues with his work ethic, and it pays off. He has worked hard his entire life and that is why he was as successful as he was. Towards the end of the book, the author says that Musk is hard on his employees about getting the work done, and that is because he expects others to work hard as he does. I greatly admire the work ethic that Mr. Musk emits in everything he does.

What about the Entrepreneur Did you Least Admire?

While I do understand why he was hard on his employees, what I didn't like about Elon Musk was how he treated a lot of his employees. I did not like how he was so demanding with his employees. He forced his employees to work ridiculous hours and was rude to them in a lot of aspects. He fired one of his best secretaries once because she came to him about a raise. Now I know we do not know the whole story, but the book made Elon Musk appear to be a very unappealing person to work for. The book even states that Musk felt that he was superior to anyone and everyone else. I understand confidence, but I do not believe that anyone is better than anybody else.

Did the entrepreneur encounter adversity and failure?

Just like any successful billionaire, there is a lot of trial and error and adversity that Elon Musk had to face along his journey. He was ousted from two of his own companies, constantly was put down for many of his ideas, and has endured many failures from failed rocket launches to Tesla cars randomly combusting. 

What competencies did you notice that the entrepreneur exhibited? 

I will say that one of the largest competencies that Elon Musk exhibited was his confidence. He boasts such a huge amount of confidence, he truly believes that he will accomplish whatever it is that he is seeking out to do. Pairing his overwhelming confidence with his determination, he is a force to be reckoned with.

Identify at least one part of the reading that was confusing to you.

Towards the end of the book, when the author is talking about SpaceX and Tesla, there are some parts where she is talking about the market for rocket pieces and large words that I honestly had no idea what it was. So there was some information that was over my head.

If you were able to ask two questions to the entrepreneur, what would you ask? Why?

If I were able to ask Elon Musk two things, I would be ready. 

1. How much do you sleep? 

I know this sounds like a dumb question, but as a person who works two jobs and takes a full load of college coursework, I am interested to see how much someone like Elon Musk sleeps. 

2. Do you take downtime for yourself? Like how much do you work? Is it all work? Or do enjoy having a beer with the boys here and there?

The reason that I would like to ask Elon Musk this is because I know he works a lot. I am just curious to see how much he works in relation to if he gives himself any down time. Like the old saying goes, "all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy."

For fun: what do you think the entrepreneur's opinion was of hard work? Do you share that opinion?

As I stated earlier, Elon Musk has a ridiculous work ethic. He believes very strongly in hard work, and I think that is awesome. It is said that Elon works anywhere from 80-100 hours a week on average. I believe that Elon Musk is a very hardworking individual, and I guarantee that he would accept no less from those who work for him. I do share Elon Musk's view on hard work, as I work hard myself. I have no sympathy for someone who does not work hard. I am a true believer that you can do anything as long as you work hard for it. And that all goes to priorities and prioritizing what it is that you want to work hard for.