Musk biographer Walter Isaacson recounts spending more than two years following the world's richest man in a new podcast interview. This podcast called "OnMusk" has four episodes and will premiere on December 12, local time. "While this book tells Musk's story, I hope listeners will gain valuable insights into what it was like to be an outsider entering his world, and what it's like to reflect on that experience after the book is published," Isaacson said in a statement.
Isaacson is joined on the podcast by journalist Evan Ratliff, and the two discuss the behind-the-scenes aspects of Musk's biography, such as Isaacson describing what it was like to sit in the building where Musk oversaw the construction of a rocket and watch Musk berate his engineers.
Among other things, Isaacson said on the podcast that he believed Musk's decision to acquire Twitter was "stupid" because of Musk's lack of empathy.
When Musk offered $44 billion to buy the social networking company, Isaacson said: "I think it would be foolish to buy Twitter because he has no sense of social and emotional networks. To him, it's like a rocket engine is simpler than human emotion."
In October 2022, Musk finally reluctantly completed the deal and took Twitter private. A year later, Musk valued the company, now called X, at $19 billion, more than half the original purchase price.
Isaacson told Ratliff that he wished Musk had not acquired Twitter because "I'm not a person who likes conflict and controversy," and "I'm not a person who likes to write about people that people really, really hate because it would make things more difficult." However, Isaacson admitted that Musk's acquisition of Twitter "definitely makes the story better."
In the first episode of the podcast, Isaacson also said: "Musk also has a playful side and an inspiring side, and he often jokes about toys or things that he likes... Even though people sometimes feel exhausted or attacked by Musk, those moments that prove to be inspiring and right keep them going."
Isaacson also described what it was like to hear Musk’s enthusiasm for a trip to Mars and how he felt when he slept on the couches of billionaires such as Google co-founder Larry Page.
In his introduction to the podcast, Ratliff calls Musk "one of the richest and most polarizing people on the planet," and says he wanted to find out from Isaacson what makes Musk tick and how he created the book.
Ratliff said Musk "seems determined at times to destroy his legacy by encouraging and even embracing the online hate machine. You know, anti-Semitism, conspiracy memes, or whatever he happens to post this week." Last weekend, Musk also reinstated the X account of notorious conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, who had been banned for five years.