A new biography by Walter Isaacson sheds new light on Musk's personality. Isaacson spent two years shadowing Musk and interviewed more than 120 people close to him. He learned that Musk has multiple personalities, including a "hardcore engineering mode" and a "demon mode."
According to Isaacson, "demon mode" is caused by Musk's childhood trauma, which included being beaten up by his father. This trauma has also made Musk addicted to drama and risk, which can be positive and negative for his companies.
Isaacson said that demon mode is similar to Steve Jobs' "reality distortion field" in that it allows Musk to achieve great things but can also be destructive.
When Musk is in demon mode, he can be ruthless and demanding. He can also be quick to anger and quick to make decisions that are not in the best interests of his companies or his employees.
In 2018, Musk was forced to step down as chairman of Tesla after he tweeted that he had secured funding to take the company private. The tweet was false, and it caused Tesla's stock price to plummet.
Musk's demon mode is also a source of stress for his employees. Many employees have reported feeling intimidated and afraid to speak up to Musk when disagreeing with him. This can lead to a toxic work environment where employees are afraid to take risks or to challenge the status quo.
Ultimately, Musk is driven by a desire to change the world. He believes that we need to make the world a better place, and he is willing to take risks to make that happen. He has founded several successful companies, including Tesla, SpaceX, and Neuralink. Tesla is the world's leading electric car company, SpaceX is a private space exploration company, and Neuralink is a company developing brain-computer interfaces.
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