Why did Walter Isaacson’s biography of Steve Jobs, published in 2011, connect so deeply with readers? To be sure, the inventor of the iPod and the iPhone had designed masterpieces of technological wizardry that had improved people’s lives. But more than that, Isaacson’s Jobs was a kind of deeply satisfying middle-class fantasy figure, a genius whose abilities placed him above the drab landscape of interpersonal morality.
When Jobs was brutal, or callous, he was acting in the service of a higher cause. He was cruel in order to be kind to the vast galaxy of Apple lovers hungry for the next bit of world-changing technology.
Isaacson was dogged in depicting Jobs’s personal failures while also crafting a compelling argument for Jobs as the pre-eminent inventor of his time.
Readers wanted to know more about the work involved in designing and introducing the iPhone, but they also wanted to learn what it might feel like to be above the petty fray of people’s feelings. Jobs was a one-of-a-kind phenomenon, as was the book, Steve Jobs, but Ashlee Vance’s thoroughly researched, thoughtful Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future has come along to provide the next serving of techno-utopian fantasia.
Musk, coming off an occasionally brutal South African childhood and an abortive stay at a doctoral programme at Stanford, was a traditional dot-com baby millionaire, rich from having been forcibly cashed out of his first two companies, PayPal and Zip2.
Where most Silicon Valley nouveau riches would be content to bask in the reflected glow of their money, Musk chose to invest his in a series of new, quixotic concerns: US$100 million (Dh367m) in SpaceX, a company working to overhaul Russian dominance of the commercial-rocketry market while planning for a future attempt to colonise Mars, and $70m in electric-car maker Tesla.
Musk boldly chose to invest the overwhelming majority of his resources into his companies, and Vance’s book is a compelling tick-tock of the ups and downs of SpaceX and Tesla over the last decade, both of which approached insolvency on numerous occasions.
SpaceX’s mission was to serve as “the Southwest Airlines of space”, drastically reducing the cost of space travel by building low-cost rockets. Engineers and machinists were to work together at SpaceX’s Los Angeles headquarters, and cost-saving would be the order of the day. If a part was too expensive, Musk would ask his engineers to design their own replacement.
The decline of the space programme had left American corporations thoroughly uncompetitive with their Russian counterparts. Bigger corporations like Boeing, fat on government contracts, had lost sight of the cost-saving possibilities: “They were building a Ferrari for every launch, when it was possible that a Honda Accord might do the trick.”
SpaceX was intent on making space travel cheap; Tesla wanted to make the electric car a luxury. The idea was to compete with Ferrari, not Honda. Musk spent as much time on the Tesla Model S interior (seating for seven, if you include two fold-down rear-facing seats in the back, and quality detailing on everything from the seats to the sun visor) as its specs.
A chronic overpromiser and under-deliverer, Musk ran into trouble with the media and customers by running chronically behind schedule. But as other electric-car start-ups (like Fisker, started by a former Tesla designer) rapidly flamed out, Musk’s attention to detail paid off: the Model S was the first electric car named Motor Trend magazine’s Car of the Year, and orders skyrocketed.
Vance has caught both of Musk’s companies in the spotlight, but their trajectories may not remain interlinked. SpaceX’s new Falcon 9 rocket has already completed 18 missions, including for Nasa, challenging the near-monopoly held on such flights by Boeing and Lockheed Martin.
Tesla, meanwhile, must still find a path to mainstream success, catering not only to early adopters in Silicon Valley and environmentalists but also middle-class mums looking for a slick but affordable ride. Given that, as Vance points out, the last successful American automotive start-up was Chrysler in 1925, the odds may still be against Tesla.
Musk’s two companies, as Vance hints, but does not quite spell out, also offer notably differing takes on the impact of climate change on the Earth. Tesla promises to undo the gas-guzzling excess of the car industry via clean technology, its early successes prompting dreams of an all-electric automobile fleet of the future.
SpaceX, meanwhile, has concentrated on commercial rocket technology in the hopes of eventually pivoting to the colonisation of Mars. Musk has set his sights on Mars, an interest since adolescence, because of deep-seated fears about the long-term viability of human habitation on Earth. One company hopes to use technology to fix the planet; the other is on a mission to use technology to one day escape it.
We need more Steve Jobs’s, undoubtedly, but my patience for Musk’s flagrant displays of bad behaviour wore thin over the course of the book. And while Vance does his level best to report both sides of the story, it is abundantly clear that he fell in journalistic love with his subject over the course of reporting and writing this book.
This, to me, is no sin; admiration is as worthwhile a quality for a journalist to muster as scepticism. It is insisting that Musk’s failings are actually his strengths that is troubling.
The interesting thing is not that Musk is a bully – he sounds like your average terrible boss whose bad behaviour is only tempered by his idealism – but that the tech-obsessed world seems to worship him in part for those very qualities. His boorishness is not a bug but a feature, proof positive of his being the Next Steve.
When they were married, his first wife Justine would seek to remind Musk that she was not his employee, and his response was succinct: “If you were my employee … I would fire you.” Compassion is in short order; witness the employee whose loyalty was questioned for having the temerity to take time off for his child’s birth, or his long-term assistant Mary Beth Brown, summarily fired after asking for a pay raise.
Perhaps I am guilty of missing the point, and a few bruised egos are a small price to pay for an oil-free future and a Martian adventure.
Musk is, in Vance’s final estimation, an ubermensch, his experiences taking place at a level mere mortals cannot know: “His brand of quest is far more fantastic and consuming than anything most of us will ever experience.”
It is not enough for Vance, in considering Musk, to argue that he is someone whose wound is formed from the same tender flesh as his bow; instead, up must become down, and shabby insensitivity must become, as if by magic, a heretofore unique kind of compassion: “I would argue, however, that his brand of empathy is unique. He seems to feel for the human species as a whole without always wanting to consider the wants and needs of individuals. And it may well be the case that this is exactly the type of person it takes to make a freaking space Internet real.”
Elon Musk is a superlative innovator, and he may yet “change the course of human history in a massive way”, as Vance believes he has a chance to do. But what would happen if we, just for a change, celebrated people for their unyielding decency, and not for its absence?
Saul Austerlitz is a critic and commentator based in New York and a frequent contributor to The Review.
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20OneOrder%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20March%202022%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Tamer%20Amer%20and%20Karim%20Maurice%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Cairo%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20staff%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E82%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Series%20A%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Other must-tries
Tomato and walnut salad
A lesson in simple, seasonal eating. Wedges of tomato, chunks of cucumber, thinly sliced red onion, coriander or parsley leaves, and perhaps some fresh dill are drizzled with a crushed walnut and garlic dressing. Do consider yourself warned: if you eat this salad in Georgia during the summer months, the tomatoes will be so ripe and flavourful that every tomato you eat from that day forth will taste lacklustre in comparison.
Badrijani nigvzit
A delicious vegetarian snack or starter. It consists of thinly sliced, fried then cooled aubergine smothered with a thick and creamy walnut sauce and folded or rolled. Take note, even though it seems like you should be able to pick these morsels up with your hands, they’re not as durable as they look. A knife and fork is the way to go.
Pkhali
This healthy little dish (a nice antidote to the khachapuri) is usually made with steamed then chopped cabbage, spinach, beetroot or green beans, combined with walnuts, garlic and herbs to make a vegetable pâté or paste. The mix is then often formed into rounds, chilled in the fridge and topped with pomegranate seeds before being served.
The specs: 2017 Dodge Ram 1500 Laramie Longhorn
Price, base / as tested: Dhxxx
Engine: 5.7L V8
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 395hp @ 5,600rpm
Torque: 556Nm @ 3,950rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 12.7L / 100km
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
|
1.
|
United States
|
|
2.
|
China
|
|
3.
|
UAE
|
|
4.
|
Japan
|
|
5
|
Norway
|
|
6.
|
Canada
|
|
7.
|
Singapore
|
|
8.
|
Australia
|
|
9.
|
Saudi Arabia
|
|
10.
|
South Korea
|
Managing the separation process
- Choose your nursery carefully in the first place
- Relax – and hopefully your child will follow suit
- Inform the staff in advance of your child’s likes and dislikes.
- If you need some extra time to talk to the teachers, make an appointment a few days in advance, rather than attempting to chat on your child’s first day
- The longer you stay, the more upset your child will become. As difficult as it is, walk away. Say a proper goodbye and reassure your child that you will be back
- Be patient. Your child might love it one day and hate it the next
- Stick at it. Don’t give up after the first day or week. It takes time for children to settle into a new routine.And, finally, don’t feel guilty.
MATCH INFO
Real Madrid 2
Vinicius Junior (71') Mariano (90 2')
Barcelona 0
The biog
Favourite car: Ferrari
Likes the colour: Black
Best movie: Avatar
Academic qualifications: Bachelor’s degree in media production from the Higher Colleges of Technology and diploma in production from the New York Film Academy
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Types of fraud
Phishing: Fraudsters send an unsolicited email that appears to be from a financial institution or online retailer. The hoax email requests that you provide sensitive information, often by clicking on to a link leading to a fake website.
Smishing: The SMS equivalent of phishing. Fraudsters falsify the telephone number through “text spoofing,” so that it appears to be a genuine text from the bank.
Vishing: The telephone equivalent of phishing and smishing. Fraudsters may pose as bank staff, police or government officials. They may persuade the consumer to transfer money or divulge personal information.
SIM swap: Fraudsters duplicate the SIM of your mobile number without your knowledge or authorisation, allowing them to conduct financial transactions with your bank.
Identity theft: Someone illegally obtains your confidential information, through various ways, such as theft of your wallet, bank and utility bill statements, computer intrusion and social networks.
Prize scams: Fraudsters claiming to be authorised representatives from well-known organisations (such as Etisalat, du, Dubai Shopping Festival, Expo2020, Lulu Hypermarket etc) contact victims to tell them they have won a cash prize and request them to share confidential banking details to transfer the prize money.
* Nada El Sawy
The specs: 2018 Alfa Romeo Stelvio
Price, base: Dh198,300
Engine: 2.0L in-line four-cylinder
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 280hp @ 5,250rpm
Torque: 400Nm @ 2,250rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 7L / 100km
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
more from Janine di Giovanni
How to come clean about financial infidelity
- Be honest and transparent: It is always better to own up than be found out. Tell your partner everything they want to know. Show remorse. Inform them of the extent of the situation so they know what they are dealing with.
- Work on yourself: Be honest with yourself and your partner and figure out why you did it. Don’t be ashamed to ask for professional help.
- Give it time: Like any breach of trust, it requires time to rebuild. So be consistent, communicate often and be patient with your partner and yourself.
- Discuss your financial situation regularly: Ensure your spouse is involved in financial matters and decisions. Your ability to consistently follow through with what you say you are going to do when it comes to money can make all the difference in your partner’s willingness to trust you again.
- Work on a plan to resolve the problem together: If there is a lot of debt, for example, create a budget and financial plan together and ensure your partner is fully informed, involved and supported.
Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
How the bonus system works
The two riders are among several riders in the UAE to receive the top payment of £10,000 under the Thank You Fund of £16 million (Dh80m), which was announced in conjunction with Deliveroo's £8 billion (Dh40bn) stock market listing earlier this year.
The £10,000 (Dh50,000) payment is made to those riders who have completed the highest number of orders in each market.
There are also riders who will receive payments of £1,000 (Dh5,000) and £500 (Dh2,500).
All riders who have worked with Deliveroo for at least one year and completed 2,000 orders will receive £200 (Dh1,000), the company said when it announced the scheme.
APPLE IPAD MINI (A17 PRO)
Display: 21cm Liquid Retina Display, 2266 x 1488, 326ppi, 500 nits
Chip: Apple A17 Pro, 6-core CPU, 5-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine
Storage: 128/256/512GB
Main camera: 12MP wide, f/1.8, digital zoom up to 5x, Smart HDR 4
Front camera: 12MP ultra-wide, f/2.4, Smart HDR 4, full-HD @ 25/30/60fps
Biometrics: Touch ID, Face ID
Colours: Blue, purple, space grey, starlight
In the box: iPad mini, USB-C cable, 20W USB-C power adapter
Price: From Dh2,099
ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
