Elon Musk by Ashlee Vance review – how one tech billionaire plans to save the world
The hype about the information age has been going on for so long that you'd assume all Silicon Valley innovation these days is based on apps and the internet, rather than sophisticated physical engineering: bits, not atoms. It has got to the stage where many tech startups look like parodic solutions in search of problems, as with the dozens of companies hoping to become the Uber for laundry. Yet the most intriguing figure among the Valley's billionaire entrepreneurs right now makes incredibly elaborate machines: electric cars and space rockets. While Mark Zuckerberg wants to change the world by enabling you to see more baby photos, the man who glories in the sci-fi name of Elon Musk wants to change the world by solving transport and global warming, and establishing a colony on Mars. Robert Downey Jr took inspiration from a visit to Musk's rocket factory for his portrayal of Iron Man's Tony Stark. "My mind is not easily blown," Downey Jr reported, "but this place and this guy were amazing." Musk has also been a guest star on The Simpsons. So who exactly is he, and can he be serious?
Related: Elon Musk: the new It Boy of Silicon Valley | The Observer profile
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