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☆ 'Elon Musk' author Walter Isaacson talks reports of a Saudi Arabia Tesla factory
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-18 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

In this videoShare Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via Email'Elon Musk' author Walter Isaacson talks reports of a Saudi Arabia Tesla factoryWalter Isaacson, “Elon Musk” Author, Parella Weinberg Advisory Partner, joins 'Closing Bell Overtime' to talk a recent report that Tesla is in talks with Saudi Arabia, a possible subscription fee for X and more.

Persons: Elon Musk, Walter Isaacson, Saudi Arabia Tesla, “ Elon Musk, Parella, Tesla Locations: Saudi Arabia

☆ Elon Musk mocked Ukraine's summer counteroffensive in a stinging post on X: 'So much death for so little'
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-18 | by ( Kwan Wei Kevin Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Elon Musk expressed his disappointment in Ukraine's summer counteroffensive in an X post on Sunday. "So much death for so little," Musk wrote in his post. "So much death for so little," Musk wrote in a post on X, formerly Twitter, on Sunday. Musk, for his part, has weighed in many times on the war in Ukraine. Representatives for Musk did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Insider sent outside regular business hours.

Persons: Elon Musk, Musk, Elon, —, David Sacks, Sacks, Andrii Melnyk, Anton Gerashchenko, Walter Isaacson, Jan Kallberg Organizations: Service, Sunday, NATO, SpaceX, Musk, Foreign Relations, Center for Locations: Wall, Silicon, Ukraine, Crimea, Russia

☆ 8 major takeaways from the explosive new book about Elon Musk that lifts the lid on the world's richest person
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-17 | by ( Grace Dean | Grace Kay | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Gianliuigi Guercia/Getty ImagesOne character who appears frequently throughout the book is Elon Musk's father, Errol Musk. "It turned out to be a really bad idea," Elon Musk told Isaacson. "It was mental torture," Elon Musk told Isaacson. But the years that he spent with his father have somewhat shaped Elon Musk's personality, according to the book. Ex-wife Talulah Riley also told Isaacson that Errol Musk's treatment of his son "had a profound effect on how he operates."

Persons: Elon, Elon Musk's, Gianliuigi Guercia, Errol Musk, Elon Musk, Isaacson, Kimbal Musk, Maye Musk, Kimbal, Grimes, Justine Musk, Errol, he'd, Talulah Riley, Errol Musk's, he's Organizations: Elon Locations: Pretoria

☆ Opinion: Musk, McCarthy and Romney are three kinds of leaders
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-17 | by ( Richard Galant | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +21 min

We’re looking back at the strongest, smartest opinion takes of the week from CNN and other outlets. A vain and ambitious cigar-smoking bully who wore riding breeches, a polished helmet and boots and carried ivory-handled revolvers, he led troops on successful lightning strikes through German-held territory near the end of World War II. Musk has repeatedly been criticized for enabling and boosting antisemitic content on the platform.”“Isaacson tries to square these two Musks. During Trump’s first impeachment, Romney became the first senator in US history to vote to remove a president of his own party from office. He has been willing to do what he believes to be right — consequences be damned.”The differences between Romney and Trump were many.

Persons: CNN — “ Troy, Hadrian, …, ”, George S, Patton, “, Stephen D, Clay Jones, Elon Musks, Elon, Nicole Hemmer’s, Walter Isaacson, Musk “, Musk, ” “ Isaacson, Isaacson, ” Hemmer, Walt Handelsman, Kevin McCarthy, Donald Trump, McCarthy, Joe Biden, “ Trump, impeaching Biden, Norman Eisen, Trump, ” Eisen, Biden, James Antle III, ’, Hunter, McCarthy “, John Avlon, Dennis Aftergut, Lindsey Graham wasn’t, Michelle Lujan Grisham, she’s, Hunter Biden, Robert J, Spitzer, It’s, ” Vladimir, Kim, Vladimir Putin, Kim Jong, Frida Ghitis, Putin, vaingloriously, Peter the Great, Sébastien Roblin, Don’t, Romney Francis Chung, AP Sen, Mitt Romney, Romney, Sen, John McCain, Trump’s, Lanhee J, Chen, Lisa Benson, Kate Bahn, ’ I’m, —, Dana Peterson, Erik Lundh, ” Dana Summers, Kunis Mila Kunis, Ashton Kutcher, Mila Kunis, Danny Masterson, Jill Filipovic, “ Kutcher, Kunis, Kutcher, Masterson, Danilo Cavalcante, Arick, Scott Stantis, Jeff Yang, Jets Phil Hands, Julian Zelizer, Aaron Rodgers ’, ” Don’t, Nick Anderson, Tess Taylor, Tommy Tuberville, Mahnaz, Roxanne Jones, Coco Gauff, Amanda Tyler, Lara Setrakian, Paul Hockenos, Don Lincoln, Sophia Nelson, Tim Scott, Kenneth Branagh, Agatha Christie’s, Hercule Poirot, Noah Berlatsky, Poirot, Branagh, Sara Stewart, Winona Ryder Organizations: CNN, US, Marine Corps, Third Army, Vostochny, Twitter, Defamation League, Agency, Caucus, Republicans, Democrats, White, North, Putin, AP, Senate, Hollywood, Motors, Ford, Chrysler, Dodge, Peugeot, United Auto Workers, UAW, “, Federal Reserve, Conference Board, Ninth, Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, REUTERS, Reuters, Apple, European Union, Jets, Boston Red Sox, The Chicago Cubs, The New York Jets, New York Jets, MetLife, Tribune, Studios Locations: China, Washington, New Mexico, Detroit, Russia’s, South Africa, Hunter Biden’s, Albuquerque, Bernalillo County, Russia, Ukraine, ”, Los Angeles , California, U.S, Aude, Pennsylvania, Brazil, Cupertino , California, Iran, New Texas, Venice

☆ SpaceX engineer risked drunk driving rather than ignore an Elon Musk order: book
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-17 | by ( Polly Thompson | Grace Dean | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Musk's management style allows him to "move faster, take more risks, break rules, and question requirements", Isaacson writes in his biography published this week. AdvertisementAdvertisementOne engineer, Kiko Dontchev, described how having just returned home to his wife after working three days straight, he was told Musk wanted him back at the hangar. In several cases the brutal management style and intense expectations of the SpaceX CEO prompted employees to quit. But sometimes, tools get worn down and [Musk] feels he can just replace that tool," Hughes told Isaacson. It cares about whether you got the rocket right," he told Isaacson.

Persons: Elon, Walter Isaacson's, Musk, Walter Isaacson, Elon Musk, Isaacson, He's, Kiko Dontchev, PHILIP PACHECO Lucas Hughes, Hughes, It's, Tom Mueller Organizations: SpaceX, Service, Elon, Wall Street, Employees, Crew Locations: Wall, Silicon

☆ Tom Mueller worked for Elon Musk at SpaceX for almost 20 years: 'I learned never to tell him no'
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-16 | by ( Polly Thompson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

"We watched like maybe one play, because we were so engaged in talking about building a launch vehicle," Mueller told Isaacson. Musk agreed, but Isaacson writes that this meant Musk considered "Mueller an employee, rather than a cofounder, of SpaceX." "You cannot ask for two years of salary in escrow and consider yourself a cofounder" Musk told Isaacson. Elon Musk with a SpaceX rocket in March 2004 in El Segundo, Los Angeles. "I am very proud of what we have achieved at SpaceX," Mueller told the University of Idaho in 2018.

Persons: Tom Mueller, Elon Musk, Mueller, Musk, Elon Musk's, Walter Isaacson, here's, Los Angeles Mueller, Isaacson, who'd, Chris Thompson, Musk Mueller, There's, Elon, Paul Harris, It's, Mueller's, Peter Thiel Organizations: SpaceX, Service, University of Idaho, TRW, Reaction Research Society, PayPal, Ebay, Super, Exploration Technologies Corporation, Merlin, Pathfinder Locations: Idaho, Wall, Silicon, Los Angeles, Canada, Saint Maries, El Segundo , Los Angeles

☆ Elon Musk learned social cues from reading books because he had no friends as a child
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-16 | by ( Sawdah Bhaimiya | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Elon Musk was bad at understanding social cues as a child because he had no friends in school. As a result, he picked up social cues from reading books, according to his new biography. As a teenager, Elon Musk followed his sister around to clubs and parties so he didn't have to be lonely. Maye Musk told Isaacson that Elon Musk "became so lonely and sad," when he started going to school. Musk walked "behind her and her friends," Isaacson wrote, "carrying a book to read whenever they went into a club or party."

Persons: Elon Musk, Walter Isaacson, Isaacson, Elon, Maye Musk, Kimbal, Tosca, Tosca Musk, Musk Organizations: Service Locations: Wall, Silicon, Toronto

☆ Elon Musk is 'a jerk' and 'not caring' – but shares some traits with Jeff Bezos and Bill Gates, his biographer says
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-16 | by ( Jyoti Mann | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Elon Musk is a "jerk," his biographer Walter Isaacson told Quartz. He also drew comparisons between Musk, Bill Gates and Jeff Bezos' "hardcore" leadership styles. Isaacson told Quartz that "caring and emotional" executives could hold back a company because "they aren't going to fire people, they aren't going to be tough, they aren't going to be rough." The author compared Musk with Bill Gates and Jeff Bezos and said they'd also taken a "hardcore" approach to running Microsoft and Amazon. The biographer, who followed Musk for two years, told CNBC in July he " does not have a fingertip feel" for emotions.

Persons: Elon, Walter Isaacson, Bill Gates, Jeff Bezos, it's, Isaacson, they'd, Gates, Rishi Sunak, didn't, Musk, Elon Musk didn't Organizations: Service, Microsoft, CNBC, Financial, Twitter, Elon Locations: Wall, Silicon

☆ Elon Musk inadvertently started beef with Ice Cube after a seemingly innocuous meme, which led the rapper to compare Twitter to a flaming dumpster
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-15 | by ( Pete Syme | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Elon Musk posted an apparently innocent meme joking about Ice Cube's name. X has dealt with mounting difficulties since Musk took over the platform. The X owner shared a seemingly innocuous image on his platform, captioned: "Remember Ice Cube? Since Musk took over Twitter last November, the company has faced mounting difficulties. Ice Cube previously provoked controversy on Twitter in 2020 after sharing a number of anti-Semitic images and conspiracy theories.

Persons: Elon Musk, Musk, Elon, didn't, Walter Isaacson's, Isaacson Organizations: NWA, Twitter, Service, Fidelity Locations: Wall, Silicon, Sacramento, Portland , Oregon

In the book, author Walter Isaacson wrote that a Ukrainian drone submarine attack on Russian warships was disrupted by a disconnect from Starlink, ordered by Musk. Excerpts from the book raised alarm bells in Washington, among NATO allies and in the Ukrainian capital. Musk also argued, as he has in the past, that Ukraine should strike a "truce" with Russia. Musk's "peace plan" argument was shouted down by Ukraine officials, politicians and Putin experts. Earlier in the week, Sen. Warren called for a Congressional probe of Musk and SpaceX.

Persons: Elon Musk, Democratic Sens, Jeanne Shaheen of, Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, Tammy Duckworth, Lloyd Austin, Musk, Tesla, Walter Isaacson, Isaacson, CNBC's, Putin, Jeff Jurgensen, Sen, Warren Organizations: WASHINGTON —, Democratic, Armed Services, Pentagon, SpaceX, Ukrainian Armed Forces, Illinois, Twitter, NATO, CNBC, U.S . Department of Defense, Department of Defense, Congressional, Bloomberg Locations: Ukraine, Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, U.S, Ukrainian, Washington, Crimea, Russia

Apple | Spotify | Stitcher | Amazon | Google Listen and follow ‘Hard Fork’Is Google allowed to spend billions of dollars to make its search product the default browser? That is the question at the center of U.S. et al. v. Google — the most important tech trial of the modern internet era — and Kevin and Casey disagree on the answer. Then, a conversation with the journalist who spent the last two years shadowing Elon Musk.

Persons: Kevin, Casey, Elon Musk Organizations: Apple, Spotify, Google

☆ Mr Nice guy: Elon Musk was originally going to be named after the French city where he was conceived, biography says
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-15 | by ( Beatrice Nolan | Grace Dean | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Elon Musk was almost called Nice, a new book by Walter Isaacson said. The name was a reference to the city in France where the billionaire was conceived, the book said. It is based on the two years the biographer spent shadowing the Tesla CEO, along with multiple interviews he conducted with associates, exes, and relatives, among others. In 2021, Elon Musk said he was selling his possessions and wanted as much capital as possible to fund a Mars colony. Representatives for Elon Musk did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment, made outside normal working hours.

Persons: Elon Musk, Walter Isaacson, Tesla, Walter Isaacson's, Errol Musk, Musk, Elon, Maye, Reeve, Isaacson, Wernher von Braun Organizations: Elon, Service, SpaceX Locations: Nice, France, Wall, Silicon, Mars

☆ Elon Musk refused to answer when asked if he is responsible for dead Ukrainians after blocking an attack on Russia's navy
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-14 | by ( Tom Porter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

He was asked whether his "ego and ignorance" had cost Ukrainian lives. A new biography revealed that Musk stopped a Ukrainian attack on Russia by not activating Starlink satellites. Musk refused to answer when asked if his "ego and ignorance" had cost Ukrainian lives, or when asked to comment about Russian President Vladimir Putin's description of him as "outstanding." Has your ego and ignorance, sir, cost Ukrainian lives? Musk refused to activate Starlink satellites being used to guide Ukrainian drones to their targets, Isaacson has said, correcting his initial account in which he said Musk had turned them off.

Persons: Elon Musk, Musk, James Matthews, Vladimir Putin's, Vladimir Putin, Matthews, Walter Isaacson, Isaacson, hadn't, Mykhailo Podolyak, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Putin Organizations: Sky, Service, SpaceX, Sky News, Federal Aviation Authority Locations: Russia, Wall, Silicon, Washington ,, Sevastopol, Crimea, Ukraine

☆ Google cofounder apparently tried to dodge the famous selfie Elon Musk took after the Tesla CEO denied having a one-night stand with his wife
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-14 | by ( Kylie Kirschner | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

WSJ published a story last year that cited sources alleging Elon Musk slept with Sergey Brin's wife. Musk denied the affair, saying the two remained friends and shared a selfie of the two at a party. The new Elon Musk biography reveals that Musk forced the selfie, which Brin tried to dodge. Both Musk and Shanahan denied any affair took place. AdvertisementAdvertisement"Right after the story broke, they were at a party together, and Musk maneuvered himself into a position where he could take a selfie with Brin, which Brin tried to avoid," Isaacson states.

Persons: Elon Musk, Sergey Brin's, Musk, Elon, Brin, Sergey Brin, Brin's, Walter Isaacson, Nicole Shanahan, Shanahan, — Brin, —, Musk's, Isaacson Organizations: Service, Elon, New York, York Locations: Wall, Silicon

☆ Errol Musk denies berating his son after an attack at school put Elon Musk in hospital
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-14 | by ( Sawdah Bhaimiya | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

His father, Errol Musk, disputed this account in a statement to Insider. The story was recounted in Walter Isaacson's new biography of Elon Musk, who's now the world's richest person . The Musk brothers said Errol Musk lashed out at his son. "No, I did not berate Elon," Errol Musk told Insider in an email. AdvertisementAdvertisementIsaacson wrote that Errol Musk moved Elon Musk from a public school to a private academy, Pretoria Boys High School, after the attack.

Persons: Elon Musk, Musk, Walter Isaacson's, Errol Musk, who's, Isaacson, Kimbal Musk, Elon, Stone, Kimbal, Maye, Grimes, Justine Wilson Organizations: Service, Elon, Pretoria Boys High School, Kimbal, Harper's Locations: Wall, Silicon, Pretoria

☆ The Russians painted elaborate camouflage on their warships in Crimea to try to confuse Ukraine's maritime drones, but that didn't stop Ukraine from decimating 2 vessels and setting the Sevastopol por
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-14 | by ( Kwan Wei Kevin Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

They even painted some ships with camouflage stripes, hoping it would confuse drone sensors. But the latest Ukrainian missile attack on a shipyard in Sevastopol damaged two ships anyway. The Russian Black Sea Fleet's base in Sevastopol, a city in Russia-controlled Crimea, was attacked by missiles in the early hours of Wednesday. It is unclear if the two vessels hit in Wednesday's attack had the camouflage stripes painted on them. AdvertisementAdvertisementUkraine's plans to strike Sevastopol and the Russian Navy's fleet have been a long time coming.

Persons: Essen, —, Elon Musk, Walter Isaacson, Musk Organizations: Service, London's Royal United Services Institute, Russia's Ministry of Defense, Elon Locations: Sevastopol, Wall, Silicon, Russian, Crimea, Ukraine, Russia

☆ Elon Musk arm-wrestled his business partner to settle PayPal software dispute: book
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-14 | by ( Polly Thompson | Grace Dean | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Max Levchin told Elon Musk's biographer about the difficulties of working with the maverick billionaire. In the early days of PayPal, Musk suggested an arm-wrestle to resolve an argument over software. AdvertisementAdvertisement"Eventually you will see it my way," an unwavering Musk told Levchin, according to the biography. But rather than a discussion about the pros and cons, Musk told Levchin late one evening: "You know what – I will arm-wrestle you for it." Levchin told Isaacson he though this was "the stupidest imaginable way to settle a software-coding disagreement."

Persons: Max Levchin, Elon Musk's, Musk, Levchin, Elon Musk, Musk's, Peter Thiel, Walter Isaacson's, Isaacson, Paul Sakuma, Vaughn Ridley, Sportsfile, Elon, X.com, Thiel, — Elon Organizations: PayPal, Service, Confinity, Microsoft, Twitter Locations: Wall, Silicon, Levchin, Toronto

☆ Elon Musk's friends 'staged an intervention' when he said he wanted to start his own rocket company and made him watch videos of rockets exploding
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-14 | by ( Grace Dean | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Elon Musk's friends held an intervention to stop him starting a rocket company, according to a new book. His college friend made him watch videos of rockets blowing up and warned him he'd lose his money. "When Musk decided he wanted to start his own rocket company, his friends did what true friends do in such a situation: they staged an intervention," journalist Walter Isaacson wrote in the book, titled "Elon Musk." "They made me watch a reel of rockets exploding, because they wanted to convince me that I would lose all my money," Musk told Isaacson. "I wanted to hold out hope that humans could be a space-faring civilization and be out there among the stars," he told Isaacson.

Persons: Elon, he'd, Musk, Elon Musk's, Walter Isaacson, Elon Musk, Isaacson, He's, Gwynne Shotwell Organizations: Service, University of Pennsylvania, PayPal, Mars Society, Lockheed, Boeing, Exploration Technologies, SpaceX, NASA Locations: Wall, Silicon, Los Angeles, United States, Russia, Mars

☆ Elon Musk and his siblings hated one of their mom's boyfriends so much that they put tiny firecrackers in his cigarettes that exploded, book says
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-14 | by ( Beatrice Nolan | Grace Dean | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

The Musk siblings hated a man Maye Musk was dating so much they put firecrackers in his cigarettes. Maye Musk dated the man after she divorced Errol Musk, Walter Isaacson wrote. Isaacson's book, "Elon Musk," details the billionaire's childhood and the strained relationship between his parents. AdvertisementAdvertisementMaye Musk and Errol Musk were married for nine years and are also parents to Kimbal Musk and Tosca Musk. AdvertisementAdvertisementMaye Musk and Errol Musk didn't immediately reply to a request for comment for this story, which was made outside of normal working hours.

Persons: Walter Isaacson's, Elon Musk, Musk, Errol Musk, Walter Isaacson, Maye, Maye Musk, Isaacson, Elon Musk's, Kimbal Musk, Tosca Musk, Grimes, He's, Claire Boucher, he'd, Errol Musk didn't Organizations: Service Locations: Wall, Silicon

☆ Elon Musk said that he had to take 'random drug tests for a couple of years' after smoking weed on the Joe Rogan podcast: 'Fortunately, I really don't like doing illegal drugs'
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-14 | by ( Grace Dean | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Elon Musk told his biographer that he "really" doesn't like taking illegal drugs. Musk famously smoked weed with Joe Rogan in 2018, and says he was subjected to random drug tests afterwards. "SpaceX was a NASA contractor, and they are big believers in the law," Musk told Isaacson. Musk told Isaacson that he had believed he'd done nothing wrong and only agreed to settle to stop Tesla from going bankrupt. "I was forced to concede to the SEC unlawfully," Musk told Isaacson.

Persons: Elon Musk, Joe Rogan, Musk, Joe Rogan's, Rogan, Walter Isaacson, Isaacson, Tesla, there'd, didn't Organizations: Wall Street, Service, Street, SpaceX, NASA, New York Times, Times, Securities, Exchange Commission, SEC, The New York Times Locations: Wall, Silicon, California

U.S. Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall does not shy away from commenting on controversy — even as it relates to the world's richest person and a key Department of Defense contractor. The Air Force works with the company on a variety of missions, such as national security launches, but did not play a role in the use of Starlink in Ukraine when Musk made the decision last September. I think they were definitely donating their services essentially, so they had discretion," Kendall said in an interview with CNBC's Morgan Brennan from the Air Force Association's annual Air, Space & Cyber conference. The Pentagon now has a contract with SpaceX for Starlink services in Ukraine. We write agreements with those businesses, they get us what we need at a reasonable cost," said the Air Force secretary.

Persons: Frank Kendall, Kendall, Elon Musk, Sen, Elizabeth Warren, Musk, CNBC's Morgan Brennan, Morgan Brennan, Walter Isaacson's, Elon, — Organizations: Air Force, of Defense, SpaceX, The Air Force, Pentagon, SpaceX — Locations: Ukraine, Starlink

☆ Elon Musk had just $4,000 when he moved to Canada and shared a room with 5 other people: book
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-14 | by ( Jyoti Mann | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Elon Musk left South Africa in 1989 with $4,000 from his parents, per Walter Isaacson's biography. His father, Errol Musk, "gave him $2,000 in traveler's checks" and his mother, Maye Musk, handed him $2,000. However, the biography also confirmed that Errol Musk did not actually own a mine. Isaacson said Errol Musk had swapped a light plane he owned for some emeralds. Errol Musk told Insider in an email: "I exchanged the Cessna 421 Golden Eagle for a share in the mine in 1985.

Persons: Elon Musk, Walter Isaacson's, Musk, Errol Musk, Maye Musk, Isaacson, he'd, Elon Organizations: Service, Canadian, Stanford University, Cessna Locations: South Africa, Wall, Silicon, Canada, North America, Zambia, Russia

☆ Elon Musk once caught malaria on safari and was 'hours from death,' book says
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-13 | by ( Polly Thompson | Grace Dean | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Walter Isaacson's biography of Elon Musk shines new light on the world's richest person. Musk once took a safari during a vacation to his native South Africa but contracted malaria. Walter Isaacson, whose biography of Elon Musk was published this week, was given access to the Tesla and SpaceX CEO over the past two years. AdvertisementAdvertisementPeter Thiel and Elon Musk with X.com credit in October 2000. Recalling the ordeal earlier this year, Elon Musk and his mother, Maye, tweeted that "modern medicine" had saved his life.

Persons: Walter Isaacson's, Elon Musk, Musk, he'd, Elon, Walter Isaacson, Peter Thiel, Isaacson, Justine Musk, Paul Sakuma, Max Levchin, Maye, I'd, Musk's, Thiel, X.com, Levchin, Grimes Organizations: Service, SpaceX, PayPal, Canada, Sequoia Hospital, Centers for Disease Control, Paypal Locations: South Africa, Wall, Silicon, Brazil, Pretoria, Palo Alto , California, Redwood City, X.com, Crimea

☆ Ukraine just carried out the same kind of strike on Russia's navy that Elon Musk blocked, believing it could start a nuclear war
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-13 | by ( Tom Porter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

It's the same kind of strike Elon Musk sabotaged in 2022, fearing it'd cause nuclear war. What's been notably absent in the wake of Tuesday's strike is any sign of the massive escalation from Russia that Musk said he acted to prevent. AdvertisementAdvertisementAntonov, Isaacson writes, persuaded Musk that an attack on Sevastopol would trigger a nuclear response from Russia under the state's military doctrine. Russian President Vladimir Putin and top Kremlin officials have repeatedly menaced Ukraine and the West with the prospect of a nuclear attack. Yet Ukraine has continued to attack the territory, and even seized some of it back from Russia, without triggering the nuclear response Putin threatened.

Persons: Elon Musk, Elon, Walter Isaacson's, Musk, What's, Isaacson, Anatoly Antonov, it's, Anne Appelbaum, Vladimir Putin, Putin, Nicholas Grossman Organizations: Russian, Service, SpaceX, Russia, Kremlin, University of Illinois Locations: Ukraine, Crimea, Russian, Wall, Silicon, Ukrainian, Russia, Sevastopol, The Atlantic

☆ Elon Musk's control of Starlink gives him unchecked power over elected governments
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-13 | by ( Charles R. Davis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Elon Musk's control over Starlink is in the spotlight after he thwarted a Ukrainian attack. "If the Ukrainian attacks had succeeded in sinking the Russian fleet, it would have been like a mini Pearl Harbor and led to a major escalation," Musk told Isaacson. (Musk later reassured a Russian ambassador that Ukraine would not be able to use Starlink for offensive operations, according to Isaacson). AdvertisementAdvertisementAs Ukrainian officials see it, sinking Russia's fleet, if that was indeed a possibility, would have prevented hundreds of missiles from raining down on the country's infrastructure, and spared civilian lives. Even if it wanted to change Musk's mind, it is not clear that it can actually compel him to do anything when it comes to Ukrainian attacks on territory controlled by Russia.

Persons: Elon, Musk, —, Walter Isaacson, Isaacson, Starlink, Biden, Pettyjohn, it's, Paul Hennessy, David Frum, George W, Bush, Nicholas Grossman, Grossman, Joe Biden, Josh Marshall, cdavis@insider.com Organizations: Service, SpaceX, Fleet, Russian, Pentagon, Ukraine, Center, New, New American Security, Defense Department, Falcon, Getty, University of Illinois, Daily, Washington, Twitter Locations: Wall, Silicon, Sevastopol, Crimea, Ukraine, Crimean, Russian, Sevastopol —, United States, New American, Washington, Ukrainian, Russia

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