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The Shattering of Elon Musk
by Faiz Siddiqui
An examination of Elon Musk during the most consequential period of his life, from the height of his power as the richest man on Earth to the potential beginnings of his downfall.
What happened to Elon Musk? In six years, he turned Tesla into the world's most valuable automaker and cast himself as a savior of humanity, an altruist whose fortune would stop climate change and colonize Mars. How did this modern-day Edison devolve into a polarizing and perpetually distracted CEO and arguably the biggest bag-fumbler in human history? He didn't suddenly lose his mind, or morph into a tool of foreign agents. Elon Musk torched his reputation and put his entire empire at risk simply by being himself.
Hubris Maximus provides a gripping, detailed portrait of the billionaire's rapid ascent and his spectacular public implosion. Washington Post reporter Faiz Siddiqui methodically deconstructs the making of the self-anointed Technoking, arguing that the warning signs were always visible to anyone willing to look. Musk's audacity and erratic behavior drove his success from the start; he spurned regulators and whistleblowers, and replaced those who dared question him with loyalists. Now he is in a unique position to sabotage it all, and there is no one left to save him from himself.
This remarkable case study in the pitfalls of unyielding loyalty to one man and the fecklessness of a gridlocked government is ultimately a cautionary tale: in a world that can't turn away from its screens, competence is no match for the power of influence and sustained attention.
"A timely look at the mercurial billionaire now as well known in politics as in business…A revealing portrait of a man whom, though chaotic in the extreme, the author considers to be 'inevitable.'" —Kirkus Reviews
"Though this doesn't match the novelistic detail or propulsive storytelling found in Kurt Wagner's Battle for the Bird, the meticulous reportage teases out the complex motivations—and, frequently, folly—behind the entrepreneur's high-profile power plays. Musk's critics will find plenty of fodder for their broadsides." —Publishers Weekly
"Siddiqui dissects the rise and psychological unraveling of one of the most influential and controversial figures of our time. Combining meticulous research with vivid storytelling, he reveals how Musk's bold vision and unchecked ambition transformed industries, reshaped public narratives, and courted chaos. From Tesla's triumphs to Twitter's disasters, this gripping book exposes the cost of power without accountability in a world that idolizes innovation." ―Bradley Hope, Pulitzer Prize finalist and coauthor of New York Times bestseller Billion Dollar Whale
"An electrifying masterpiece of investigative journalism, offering a riveting deep dive into the rise and fall of Elon Musk, and the definitive account of his transformation from inspirational entrepreneur to a dangerous and polarizing figure. With unmatched clarity and depth, Siddiqui dissects Musk's power and influence. The book is a gripping cautionary tale and a masterful cultural critique―essential reading for anyone captivated (or confounded) by the most controversial billionaire of our time." ―Taylor Lorenz, Author of Extremely Online and founder of User Magazine
This information about Hubris Maximus was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Faiz Siddiqui is a technology journalist with the Washington Post, covering companies such as Tesla and Twitter for the Business Desk. His reporting has focused on ride-hailing, the race to build autonomous cars, transportation safety and reliability, and labor and workplace issues within the automotive industry. Siddiqui's work has earned multiple Society of Professional Journalists Mark of Excellence and Hearst Journalism awards, and his writing has also appeared in the Boston Globe, NPR, and The Guardian, among others. He lives in Washington, D.C.
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