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Walter Isaacson
@WalterIsaacson
Author of The Code Breaker, Leonardo da Vinci, Benjamin Franklin, Einstein, Steve Jobs. Professor . Latest: Elon Musk: a.co/d/hCvGKTh
Walter Isaacson’s posts
Late last night, after winning his battle for Twitter, was in Boca Chica and held his regular 10 pm meeting on Raptor engine design, where he spent more than an hour working on valve leak solutions. No one mentioned Twitter. He can multitask.
Germany, by two Turkish immigrants.
That equates to $1.5 million in tax every DAY since he became a US citizen in 2002.
To clarify on the Starlink issue: the Ukrainians THOUGHT coverage was enabled all the way to Crimea, but it was not. They asked Musk to enable it for their drone sub attack on the Russian fleet. Musk did not enable it, because he thought, probably correctly, that would cause a… Show more
Yes, and it’s getting even more interesting.
Maybe the greatest sentence ever written by human hands (Jefferson with edits from Franklin and Adams): We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable Rights, that among these are Life,… Show more
Wow. Every. Single. Word. Of. This. If you watch only one thing today, please make it this 4 minutes, and remember what America is all about.
In 2009, I argued that social networks should enable micropayments for stories and songs and videos.
Elon Musk in the Starship control room right now with Shana Diez and Joe Petrzelka
The infatuation of with the name X.com goes way back. Here are some excerpts from my upcoming book, amazon.com/Elon-Musk-Walt
"When his cousin Peter Rive visited in early 1999, he found Musk poring over books about the banking system. “I’m trying to… Show more
I got this text message from Elon Musk at 4:44am CT showing a screenshot of some text messages in which he tells Mark Zuckerberg they should fight this Monday at Zuckerberg’s home in Palo Alto.
From amazon.com/Elon-Musk-Walt on Musk meeting :
"Every now and then, often at the most complex of times, the Creators of Our Simulation—those rascals who conjure up what we are led to believe is reality—drop in a sparky new element, one that creates chaotic new… Show more
Available for preorder now in the link below.
In 2020, Musk decided to sell his five grand houses and to have as his primary residence this spartan two-bedroom house in Boca Chica, TX, where we would meet and he would sit at this wood table and make phone calls. In my forthcoming bio, amazon.com/Elon-Musk-Walt, I explain why.
Here are a few simple facts that should go without saying: 1. The did not make up the op-ed. 2. The Times is not failing. 3. did not make up quotes. 4. Woodward is neither a Democrat nor a liberal. 5. Unlike Trump, he served his nation in the military
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Does the so-called “Senior Administration Official” really exist, or is it just the Failing New York Times with another phony source? If the GUTLESS anonymous person does indeed exist, the Times must, for National Security purposes, turn him/her over to government at once!
Trump will likely deny this. He will fulminate about fake news. I have known forever. Jeff is scrupulously honest, totally reliable, and you can trust every single word he writes.
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Donald Trump, in a White House meeting, asked that a military parade exclude wounded veterans, because "nobody wants to see" amputees. My story here:
theatlantic.com/politics/archi
In Central Park watching a Stevie Wonder concert, and he began by taking a knee for America.
Happy birthday to the man who came closest to knowing everything possible about all that was knowable in his time.
Available for pre-order now:
Elon Musk’s father instilled his drive but also his demons, beginning at an early age. In my book, Elon and his brother Kimbal tell vivid and psychologically brutal tales and the scars they left, and their father Errol spends hours giving his own side forcefully.
Elon and… twitter.com/WalterIsaacson Show more
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The folks at do a beautiful job covering Starship. Here from my upcoming book, amazon.com/Elon-Musk-Walt , is a brief excerpt about Musk's emotion in April at the first test launch:
“My stomach is twisted in knots,” Musk told Mark Juncosa as they stood on the balcony… Show more
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Gorgeous photos show SpaceX's next Starship Super Heavy booster on the launch pad trib.al/qyTxZom
I am a pro-life, pro-Second Amendment, small-government, strong-defense and a national-anthem-standing conservative, writes William McRaven. Here’s why I voted for Joe Biden. wsj.com/articles/biden via
This appointment of is great. He guided the recovery after Katrina that produced levees that held perfectly in our recent Cat4 hurricane, a better school system, and no examples of fraud or abuse. He is persistent, smart, energetic
My full article on
Adding to post: In my book, amazon.com/Elon-Musk-Walt , I describe how on one Friday in 2017, decreed, “We are going to do this whole thing in stainless steel.” I note: "The use of stainless steel opened up new possibilities for the look of the truck.… Show more
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.@WalterIsaacson shares some insight into the Cybertruck's design:
"About 6 years ago, he (Elon Musk) is sitting there with @woodhaus2 and they're looking at a Ford truck. He (Elon) says these things are boring. He doesn't like to be bored. He puts up things from movies, from… Show more
Here’s a first look at the back cover, which I decided should be of Starship. The book is now available for pre-order on Amazon and elsewhere.
Earlier yesterday, just before the Twitter announcement was made, he was meeting at the Tesla Austin gigafactory with Indonesia’s Minister for Investment Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan about battery supply chains and mines.
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Late last night, after winning his battle for Twitter, @elonmusk was in Boca Chica and held his regular 10 pm meeting on Raptor engine design, where he spent more than an hour working on valve leak solutions. No one mentioned Twitter. He can multitask.
This is the inside story of how Musk used Starlink to help Ukraine, then pulled back one tense Friday night, and how he finally resolved his role — including the secret encrypted messages with Ukrainian minister Federov and the deal he made with the US.
believes the path to AI safety is to tie machines to human minds. That's the goal of Neuralink, which will implant chips in human brains. and also of xAI and of Optimus the robot. Here, from my book, amazon.com/Elon-Musk-Walt, after a practice session for the unveiling… Show more
Ever since imbibing Isaac Asimov stories as a kid, Musk has worried that our robots could turn on us. This Time excerpt of amazon.com/Elon-Musk-Walt explains why and what he’s doing about it.
Facebook does not just reflect society’s hatred and resentments, it amplifies them. Intentionally. For profit. They are smart enough to fix this if they wanted. My take on the cesspool, with a shoutout to who’s been covering this well. cnbc.com/video/2020/06/
Nobody is better equipped than to understand the mind and science and optimism of Leonardo da Vinci. What a fascinating piece he’s written.
How Elon Musk set Tesla on a new course for self-driving - Isaacson
"The Chevy Silverado was still on the showroom floor for reference. In front of it were three large display boards with pictures of a wide variety of vehicles, including ones from video games and sci- fi "movies. They ranged from retro to futuristic, sleek to jagged, curvaceous… Show more
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Adding to @SawyerMerritt post: In my book, amazon.com/Elon-Musk-Walt , I describe how on one Friday in 2017, @elonmusk decreed, “We are going to do this whole thing in stainless steel.” I note: "The use of stainless steel opened up new possibilities for the look of the truck.… Show more
From my biography of Einstein:
"One day at the Institute, Einstein ran into Oppenheimer, who was preparing for the hearings [where the Atomic Energy Commission was deciding whether to revoke his security clearance]. They chatted for a few minutes, and when Oppenheimer got to… Show more
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#ThrowbackThursday: In honor of the new "Oppenheimer" movie, here's a photo of the two physicists, Albert Einstein and J. Robert Oppenheimer.
After 100 years, the advice in the New York Herald Tribune still holds...
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"It was a tough and embarrassing moment for America." - @JonBatiste on last night's debate
This is where my Musk bio can be ordered in various countries:
Julian Castro just disqualified himself with that weird and unnecessary attack on Biden’s health care plan. That was appalling.
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I think a lot of Democrats are going to react badly to Castro’s “are you forgetting” line to Biden.
Why is there something rather than nothing?
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In your opinion, what's the most intriguing unanswered question in the world of science? 
NASA Has a Theory for Why We Might Be Alone in the Universe – DNyuz
“One day when I was young, my parents warned me against playing with fire. So I took a box of matches behind a tree and started lighting them.” -- Musk just after the first Starship launch attempt.
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The folks at @SPACEdotcom do a beautiful job covering Starship. Here from my upcoming book, amazon.com/Elon-Musk-Walt , is a brief excerpt about Musk's emotion in April at the first test launch:
“My stomach is twisted in knots,” Musk told Mark Juncosa as they stood on the balcony… Show more
History will remember which great Republicans were honest patriots and which ones were craven and spineless.
His excellence as a writer was matched by his honor, kindness, and sweetness as a human. He was the consummate storyteller and gentleman.
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General Kelly’s son Robert is buried in Section 60 of Arlington. He was 29. Trump, while standing by Robert Kelly’s grave, turned directly to his father and said, “I don’t get it. What was in it for them?” theatlantic.com/politics/archi
From @jmartNYT @alexburnsNYT “Seeking the nation’s highest office a half-century after his first campaign, Mr. Biden — a candidate in the late autumn of his career — presented his life of setback and recovery to voters as a parable for a wounded country.”
George Will has the intellectual honesty and courage that most conservative now lack.
Celebrating with Pappy van Winkle.
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In an exclusive excerpt from the new biography “Elon Musk” by Walter Isaacson, The Wall Street Journal offers a behind-the-scenes look at the controversial mogul's decision to buy Twitter on.wsj.com/45tDhSs
Happy 40th birthday, Internet. You were amazing in your youth, but I am not sure you have aged gracefully.
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Today is the 40th anniversary of the first three-network test of the Internet Protocols: joining ARPANET, Packet Radio and Packet Satellite networks linking the US and Europe!
This would have been slightly more flattering if any of the contestants last night had known the answer.
The hero of my forthcoming book Jennifer Doudna and her collaborator Emmanuelle Charpentier just won the !!! They showed how to rewrite the code of life. The most important discovery of our era.
A companion question: what is the greatest photograph of a moment in sports history?
My vote, Neil Liefer of Muhammad Ali’s knock-out of Sonny Liston, 1965.
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What was the most memorable moment in sports history?
Anti-Defamation League, NAACP and others urge a Facebook advertising boycott
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Two former sr Trump admin officials confirm .@JeffreyGoldberg reporting that President Trump disparaged veterans and did not want to drive to honor American war dead at Aisne-Marne Cemetery outside Paris.
This quote is when Einstein thought McCarthyism was destroying America. But after Eisenhower and other honorable Republicans and Edward R. Murrow and other journalists helped bring McCarthy down, Einstein marveled that American democracy had a gyroscope and could right itself.
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@WalterIsaacson's epic biography of Einstein has an amazing, timely quote from him.
"God's own country becomes stranger and stranger...but somehow they manage to return to normality. Everything--even lunacy--is mass produced here. But everything goes out of fashion very quickly"
Imagine if Obama had said.
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Fox aired interview excerpt
O'Reilly: Putin is a killer.
@POTUS Trump: There are a lot of killers. You think our country's so innocent?
Tesla sues car dealers in Louisiana, part of broader campaign to allow for direct sales | Business News | nola.com
Along these lines, Grimes was not allowed to go inside of the control room for the April Starship launch attempt, because she was a Canadian and not a US citizen.
Pres. Obama made an essential point. There are people, both in The White House and my home state of Louisiana, who wake up each morning thinking of ways to make it harder for people to vote. They should be ashamed.
Ok. I admit it. Watching this video actually brought a tear to my eye.
Perhaps someday the U.S. will catch up with the digital tech in India: secure identification that enables frictionless banking and payments.
This is why the British lost the Battle of New Orleans.
I liked the arm-wrestling scene.
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Replying to @WalterIsaacson
Accurate.
[Technical note: Linux in 1999 was still early days, whereas Windows had a whole video game dev community to draw upon. In later years with SpaceX & Tesla, I obviously went with Linux.
Also, Max was unequivocally wrong that the site wouldn’t work with Windows. It… Show more
Today is the 50th birthday of the internet. It’s been fun, but it’s not aging well.
Bill Kristol challenges fellow conservatives to tell the truth about Trump. Here’s the full interview youtu.be/T6EHvcKfcpg .
Great article. The next REALLY big thing will be using AI and LLMs to generate thousands of new proteins, including new hormones and enzymes and antibodies.
via
Henry Kissinger once explained Watergate: "Some damn fool went into the Oval Office and did what Nixon told him to do."
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Is there a term of art in management for the necessary attribute of knowing when to ignore the boss' directives?
Thank you, Benjamin Franklin
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James is funny. But he’s also serious. And right.
Well, the music has returned to Royal Street. Tim Laughlin is playing clarinet on his balcony and a band has joined him on the side at below. We will survive.
Replying to
The bottle of rare and wonderful Pappy van Winkle bourbon came from the wife of Morgan Stanley banker Michael Grimes.
Appalling.
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.@JulianCastro is once again on the attack. But with this “your forgetting what you said two minutes ago” attack on @JoeBiden, accusing him of betraying spirit of @BarackObama on health care, Castro is throwing long with great risk.
When asked this same question years ago, Alex Hailey, the author of “Roots,” said you should begin with six magic words: “Let me tell you a story.” No one wants a lecture, but they lean forward for a story.
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As part of my new job, I get to give a speech in the Superdome this Saturday at @TulaneSLA graduation. But I can’t think of a good opening line. Any suggestions? (If I use yours, I’ll give you a shout out!) #DeansLife #TulaneSLA19
Without net neutrality, your internet sites could be bundled like cable. qz.com/1114690/why-is
A glimmer of hope for the future of journalism. politico.com/story/2017/10/
I’ve read Lawrence’s book and it is smart, thrilling, and very relevant to today.
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I'll be at Barnes & Noble in NYC next week on 11/8 to sign copies of my new book, Playing with Fire. Hope to see you there!
There’s a very interesting backstory behind all this that’s in my forthcoming book.
Replying to
Bill Sr. was one of the most admirable and lovable people of our times.
My old schoolmate Michael Lewis is going to interview me about my new Elon Musk bio in NYC Sep 13. But watch out, I may turn the tables a bit and ask him about his bio of Bankman-Fried and what it was like for us growing up in a magical place. We promise to enlighten and… Show more
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September 13 
@WalterIsaacson discusses “Elon Musk” with Michael Lewis at the @92ndStreetY!
Event and ticket info: 92ny.org/event/walter-i
@WalterIsaacson discusses “Elon Musk” with Michael Lewis at the @92ndStreetY!
Event and ticket info: 92ny.org/event/walter-i
My friend the Rev. William Barnwell just died of COVID-19. As he describes in this loving story, we met through where we both got to know some amazing kids. He was a saintly man. Curse this virus.
The next great leap in human-computer interfaces.
Deep reading confers herd immunity against virulent demagoguery
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What we lost when we stopped reading washingtonpost.com/opinions/what-
This guy is really smart! And he’s written a fascinating book on how to avoid a climate disaster. Here’s the interview I did with him: youtu.be/JQiCHsLmB8c
Everybody, whatever your party, should watch this.
