13A – Reading Reflection No. 1

1) Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future, Ashlee Vance
  • What surprised you the most?
Personally, I had no idea that Elon came from South Africa at the age of 17 years old. Moreover, he had exceptionally limited money and could barely feed himself. From there, he worked odd jobs in Canada and eventually signed up to go to school in Ontario, later switching to University of Pennsylvania. After reading this portion, I undeniably have more respect for Elon Musk as an individual and entrepreneur. 

  • What about the entrepreneur did you most admire?
I would say I admire Elon's creativity and drive for greatness. Personally, I currently work for Boeing on the Starliner spacecraft for the NASA Commercial Crew Program - the program in which SpaceX is also contracted. 

  • What about the entrepreneur did you least admire?
His empathy for his employees I believe is severely lacking, from an outsider perspective. Although this reading doesn't truly cover it all, the media has as well as those who have been fired. His rate of turnover for employees at SpaceX is alarmingly high, and he appears to have no issues just firing a large amount of people at a time. Moreover, from what the media has claimed, individuals are reluctant to say too much regarding the matter in fear of being ridiculed or worse from Elon. 

  • Did the entrepreneur encounter adversity and failure? If so, what did they do about it?
Elon faced adversity from a young age, with emigrating from South Africa to Canada. He was emotionally abused by his father and bullied severely in school as well. Regarding his professional adversity and failure, the only thing discussed in the reading was truly getting investors for what was just a space idea at the time. Therefore, he had to come back around to it at a later time. 
2) What competencies did you notice that the entrepreneur exhibited? 

I believe adaptability, innovation, and perseverance. He had to adapt and persevere from a very young age, specifically with coming from South Africa to Canada with limited to no resources. Innovation is what helped him begin his foundation to fame and success, and has led him to it thus far. 
3) Identify at least one part of the reading that was confusing to you.

 I believe the actual descriptions and chronological details regarding Elon Musk's ascent to fame are more complicated to understand. Both industries in which Elon is involved are exceptionally complicated as well, and I don't believe this reading truly gave us enough background of them and their markets.

 4) If you were able to ask two questions to the entrepreneur, what would you ask? Why?
I would ask "What's next? What ideas are you considering pursuing next?" as my first question. Elon appears to be an individual who doesn't stop. From Tesla to SpaceX and space exploration - his imagination appears unending. I'm curious to know what's next. Secondly, I would ask "When are you going to pass your legacy down, and to who?". I believe legacy especially in corporate America are exceptionally important, and I'm eager to hear what he has planned for the future. Will the legacy of Tesla and SpaceX die with him?
5) For fun: what do you think the entrepreneur's opinion was of hard work? Do you share that opinion?

 I believe younger Elon Musk would have a different opinion of hard work in comparison to older Elon. Younger Elon would have described hard work as being the stepping stones for him finally reaching the United States. Older Elon would describe hard work as putting in the most hours, getting the most done, and being the smartest person in the room. I do not personally share that opinion, I refuse to spend the better years of my adult life driving myself into the ground, especially for a company that doesn't value me - there are other ways to work hard besides working 100 hour weeks.

Comments

  1. Julianna KaufmanMarch 1, 2020 at 9:32 PM

    Caitlyn,

    I enjoyed reading your comments about Elon Musk's book. The most interesting think about him, in my opinion, is that he's dating the musician Grimes who has neat electronic music. Her most recent album Miss Anthropocene, just dropped in late February. You should give it a listen!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Tyler JacobsMarch 2, 2020 at 7:53 AM

    Caitlyn, I also enjoyed hearing your perspective on Elon Musk's journey as an entrepreneur, as well as with Space X. It is not too surprising, unfortunately, that he may have a reputation of being less empathic or loving to his employees and team members. That is similar to what I have read about Steve Jobs. It seems that entrepreneurs are willing to make their products succeed or grow at all costs, including ones that are relational. It would be interesting to hear what Musk's take is on this and whether it's an area that he is working on.

    ReplyDelete

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