Elon Musk: the way of the future

Recently, the publishing house "Olympus-Business" published a book by ashlee Vance "Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the road ahead". Rusbase publishes excerpts from the book – about how the Mask could not work with Russian rocket scientists, slept in the chair, sought the woman he loved, ran two companies and never stopped dreaming of changing the world.

In Russia started selling books about the eccentric businessman of our time. Elon Musk launches rocket into space, builds luxury electric cars, wants to make human interplanetary view and about to turn solar panels into the energy of the future. Interestingly, writing books about himself, the billionaire agreed to work. Journalist Ashley Vance wore a Mask on the heels, coaxing me to tell you about how it was created PayPal, Tesla Motors and SpaceX. When the entrepreneur has agreed, the author of the forthcoming book spent 30 hours in trips and conversations – amazing lot for such a busy person like Musk, which, as reported in the biography, "writes in three seconds".

The result was a really exciting read. Musk admire and Mask of hate (the author spoke with dozens of friends and foes, employees, partners and ex-wives of a billionaire), and the tangle of stories – from the failed negotiations with the Russians, and a ruthless attitude to close people taken away from under the nose of Ralph Lauren's sports car McLaren – will allow to draw a conclusion that represents the "iron man".

How to buy Russian rocket Musk wanted to go to Russia to find out exactly how much it will cost to run. He wanted to buy a Russian converted Intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) and use it as a launcher.

Team Mask for four months, three times met with Russian. Among the companies with which they communicated, was NPO. S. A. Lavochkin, manufacturer of the probes for Mars and Venus by order of the Federal space Agency, and the MKK "Kosmotras", launching the spacecraft on a commercial basis. All these meetings obviously took place in one scenario — in accordance with Russian customs. Russian often missed Breakfast and was invited to his office by eleven for an early lunch. The first hour was small talk over sandwiches, sausage and, of course, strong drinks... After dinner, long smoked and drank coffee. As soon as the table was cleared, the main Russian turned to the Mask and asked: "So you want to buy?"

Perhaps the Mask was annoying not the time to wobble, and the fact that the Russian did not take him seriously. "They looked at us with suspicion, — has told Cantrell[Jim Cantrell helped Mask during talks in Moscow – approx. Rusbase]. One of their chief designers treated us with disregard Elon, thinking that he we hang noodles on the ears".

The tense meeting took place in an ornate but run-down pre-revolutionary building not far from the center of Moscow. Poured strong drinks, sounded toast — "For the space! For America!" — and the Mask was sitting on 20 million and hoping that they will last for three ICBMs that can be converted for space flight. The excited spirits Musk was asked point-blank how much it will cost ballistic missile. The answer was: eight million each. Musk did offer a response: eight in two.

"For some time they sat and looked at him, recalled Cantrell. And then he said something like: "Young man, no." In addition, they hinted that he had no such money."

To this point, Musk decided that the Russian is either not going to do business with him, or just want to draw from to enrich the dotcom millionaire as much as possible. He went out, slamming the door.

How much time to find a girlfriend ... a Couple of times Musk wound up other girls but always came back to Justin[first wife Mask ]. Every time she showed coldness, he had redoubled her efforts. "He's been calling very persistently, she says. — You can be sure that if your phone rings incessantly, it is Elon. He does not understand the word "no". To get rid of it. This Terminator. He fixes his gaze on something and says "Mine." Well, he gradually won me over".

... When the Musk divorced his second wife, actress Talulah Riley, he tried to figure out where in his busy schedule to insert a personal life. "I think work and kids, I spend plenty of time, he says. But there is still the problem. I need to find a girlfriend. Here it is necessary to carve out some time. Maybe even 5-10 hours... how much time a woman needs a week? Maybe 10 hours? What's the minimum? I don't know."





Elon Musk and talulah Riley Riley

How to get employees to do the impossible ... Musk mastered the art of squeeze the most out of employees. Ask three dozen SpaceX engineers and each of them will celebrate a managerial trick that Musk used to enforce its terms. While the General Manager sets deadlines for the employees, Musk is committed to its engineers took responsibility for concerning their plans. He does not say: "You have a job to do till two o'clock Friday". He says: "I need two hours Friday was made impossible. Can you?" Then, if you say "Yes", then climb out of by and for themselves. It's a difference you can feel. You signed up to perform their own work.

... Engaged in marketing, Musk daily searched through Google news about Tesla. If he found a negative article, then required to "correct the situation", though the PR Tesla almost no arguments to convince journalists.

One of the employees missed the event, as was present at the birth of his child. Musk immediately wrote to him: "This is not a reason. I'm very disappointed. You need to prioritize. We are here to change the world by changing history, you're either with us or not."

Later Musk said the same: "I want you thought ahead and thought so hard for you to have a headache. I want your head ached every night when you go to bed."

... Days, when people ignored the cost of production of the Roadster [the first model of electric cars Tesla – approx. Rusbase], passed irrevocably. "Elon started up and declared that it is necessary to carry out a program of intensive cost reduction, says Popple. — He gave a speech, proclaiming that we will work on Saturdays and Sundays and sleep on the job until the job is done. Someone said that people already working at capacity and would not refuse to relax and spend time with their families. Elon said, "these employees will be more than enough time for the family when we go bankrupt".

"Once I dropped a mail server SpaceX, and Elon said the following: "That this crap was no more, understand?" says Spikes. — He was able to burn eyes and looked at the people in focus, for a full understanding".

... Musk could be as well harsh with employees who did not meet his standards. He often said, "the longer you wait before you fire someone, the more time passes since then, when it had to be done".

... During the preparation for the third start of the Masque, as usual, deep in the process. Anyone at SpaceX, whose fault it was delayed start, got the Mask in the black list of employees who are not coping with the work plan at a critical stage of the project. Once Musk called Brogan [employee responsible for the start – approx. Rusbase] to know, how was the welding on the body of the rocket out of the toilet of the London club — probably, he cared for Riley. Another time, Musk had called in the night when next to him Riley, so he pushed his engineers to the nines in a whisper. "We all had to crowd over a speaker phone to hear him say in a low voice: "Guys, get together already, dammit!"", recalled Brogan.

How to work 20 hours a day ... Mask, it seemed, never left the office. He slept on the bag of the beans next to a Desk. "Almost every day, coming at half past seven or at eight in the morning, I saw him sleeping on this bag recalls Heilman [employee Zip2 – approx. Rusbase]. — Maybe he washed on the weekends, not sure."

... In the first three months of existence of the company Zip2, Musk brother lived in the office. They had a small cupboard where they kept their things, and a shower, they used the free gym in the neighborhood.

"We sometimes four times a day and ate at Jack In The Box says Kimball. — He was open all day, which we were quite happy. I once took a fruit cocktail, and something in him swam. I just pulled this garbage and still drank. Since then I have not been there, but still remember their menu".

... Musk said that the first rocket with a satellite TacSat-1 for the Ministry of defence will be launched "in early 2004," air force base "Vandenberg". When looming this objective, twelve-hour working day six days a week was considered the norm, and many people worked even longer. Respite, even if they were, came around eight in the evening, when the Masks allowed everyone to play in "shooter" like Quake III Arena or Counter-Strike. At the appointed hour at the office could be heard the clicking of the gate — twenty people were armed before battle. Musk played under the name Random9 and often won, cursing furiously and ruthlessly blasting your employees. "The boss shot us with rockets and plasma — remember Column. — In these games he has no equal, he's got a crazy reaction. He knows all the tricks and can sneak up on you".

... Lyons had seen and exhausted, tormented Mask, thibeaudeau and spit coffee because he was cold, and then requiring employees to work harder, to do more to reduce errors. "Working in Tesla at a time you felt like Colonel Kurtz from "Apocalypse now," says Lyons. — Don't be afraid to use crazy methods, just do the work. That's all from Ilona. He listens, asks the right questions, fast and able to get to the bottom".

... While on holiday in Africa, Musk has got the most dangerous kind of malaria, tropical malaria, which accounts for the vast majority of deaths from this disease. After several days of illness Musk appealed to Stanford hospital and reported that he had been in a malaria area, although in his analysis of the causative agent is not found. The doctors gave the wrong diagnosis, proper treatment Mask received, and his condition deteriorated even more. Recovery took six months.

He lost 45 pounds (20 kg), left a whole closet full of unnecessary clothes. "I was close to death, says Musk. And I learned my lesson: I can't go on vacation. The vacation will kill me."

Who they are – people Mask (and how to get to work for him) ... Then there was Mary Beth brown, now — the legend of SpaceX and Tesla. Brown, or, as everyone called her, M. B., became the right hand Mask, a real incarnation of pepper Potts from the comics and movies, "Iron man". If the Mask worked 20 hours a day, so worked brown. For many years she brought him food, set appointments, organize contact with the children chose clothes, answered press enquiries and, if necessary, pulled out the Mask from the meetings, not to disrupt his schedule. She became the only link between Musk and all his professional and personal contacts, becoming an invaluable asset for all employees of the company.

... Jin (Eugene) Berdichevsky, a member of the racing team electric car on solar energy, was in my last year of University and was willing to leave school, work for free and to wash the floors in Tesla, just to get a job in the company. The founders, impressed by the enthusiasm of Berdichev, took it to work after the first meeting. Berdichevsky was in an awkward position, he had to call his parents, Russian immigrants, and engineers specializing in nuclear submarines, and to say that he quits Stanford to join a startup engaged in the development of the electric vehicle. Berdichevsky became the seventh employee of Tesla Motors.

 





Tesla Roadster Sport 2.5 at the exhibition dedicated to the motor show AutoRAI. April 22, 2011, Amsterdam, the Netherlands

... Musk may ask one question or a few [at the interview – approx. Rusbase]. But you can be sure, be sure to follow The Same Mystery:

"You are standing on the Earth's surface. You walked one mile South, one mile West and one mile North. You were in the same place, where went. Where are you?"

One of the answers is the North pole, most of the engineers know how to recognize. And then Musk ask: "where else can you be?" Another correct answer — the point near the South pole, where going from one mile to the South, you will find yourself on the parallel circumference of over one mile. Few engineers are able to find the answer; Musk enthusiastically explains to them the mystery of the other, accompanying the explanation of the required equations.

How to inspire Soviet textbooks ... When the Mask expelled from PayPal, he went back to childhood fantasies about space ships and flying and began to think about what might find a vocation more important than the development of Internet services. Changes in his behavior and way of thinking soon began to notice friends — including company executives from PayPal, which somehow at the weekend gathered in Las Vegas to celebrate the success in business. "We hung out in the Cabana at the Hard Rock Cafe and Elon sat and read the mysterious Soviet textbook on rocket science, which is all moldy and looked as if it was bought on eBay, — said Kevin Hartz, an early investor in PayPal. — He studied the book and was openly talking about space flights and the opportunity to change the world."

... SpaceX was to become the American attempt to start a rocket from scratch. According to the Mask, over the past half century aerospace industry has not made special progress.

Companies in this industry have not experienced much competition, so they preferred to make a very expensive and very powerful rockets. They built a Ferrari for each run, when, perhaps, would come up and "Honda accord".

Musk, for his part, decided to use SpaceX techniques I learned from Silicon valley startups, is to act fast to save money and to make maximum use of the advantages of computers and materials that have appeared over the last twenty years.

How to become a prototype of the "iron man" vaguely Downey [Robert Downey Jr. is starring in the movie "Iron man" — approx. Rusbase] heard something about the man, very reminiscent of Hughes, whose name was Elon Musk, and that has created its own modern industrial complex. Instead of trying to imagine Hughes, Downey could take a chance to see how it looks in real life. In March 2007, he visited the headquarters of SpaceX in El Segundo. Plant tour conducted for him personally by Musk, has made Downey a lasting impression.

"My little surprise, but this place and this guy was unbelievable," admitted Downey.

Plant SpaceX Downey seemed unusual giant shop of technical goods. Staff busy scurrying here and there and tinkered with a variety of equipment. Young engineers was discussing something with the workers on the Assembly line, truly passionate about a common cause. "It was like a cool startup", — shared his impressions of Downey. The first excursion Downey was satisfied because of the scenery, built on the former factory of the Hughes, really was like a production site of SpaceX. "It looked quite authentically" — decided actor.

However, Downey was not only interested in the interior; he wanted to know better the personality of the Mask. They sat down to lunch in the office the Mask. Downey realized that the Mask did not like the sloppy twitchy it guy is not of this world. He noted "subtle eccentricity" Mask and saw it as a lowly person, able to work side by side with the rest of the plant. According to Downey, Musk and stark had been the type of people who "found the idea of his life" and not wasting a single minute.

 

P. S. And remember, only by changing their consumption — together we change the world! ©

 

Join us in Facebook and in Vkontakte, and we're Classmates

Source: rusbase.com/interview/spal-na-meshke-iz-pod-fasoli-ryadom-s-rabochim-stolom/

Tags

See also

New and interesting