Elon Musk the Entertainer, by Walter Isaacson

Which of the following people are true Musk confidantes?

• A: Robin Ren
• B: Peter Rawlinson
• C: Navaid Farooq
• D: Tim Watkins

Which of these did Elon Musk actually say?

• A: My brain is in overdrive. I'm working out how to transport humanity to Mars with all these distractions.
• B: This is shit. Total f*ing shit. Horrible. What were you thinking?
• C: I'm racking my brain. I'm trying to devise a plan to get humanity to Mars amidst all this chaos.
• D: My f*ing brain is hurting. I'm trying to figure out how we get humanity to Mars with all this bullshit.

How, according to Musk, do civilizations decline?

• A: They stop pushing the envelope. And when they play it safe, they turn into stick-in-the-muds. Every year, there's a bigger crowd of naysayers and a smaller squad of trailblazers.
• B: They quit taking risks. And when they quit taking risks, their arteries harden. Every year there are more referees and fewer doers.
• C: They stop gambling with fate. And when they lose their nerve, they become sticklers for rules. Year by year, the number of armchair critics skyrockets, while the doers become an endangered species.
• D: They stop taking leaps of faith. And when they get cold feet, their mojo fizzles out. Each year, there are more party poopers and fewer rock stars.

How many employees did Tesla have in May 2006?

• A: 70
• B: 120
• C: 12
• D: 430

What is Musk's operating principle?

• A: Be result oriented, care about employees, innovate and focus on vision.
• B: Iterate fast, take risks, be brutal, accept some flameouts, then try again.
• C: Use the F word as often as possible to relieve stress and generate a serious atmosphere.
• D: Think different, make fast decisions and have an eye for detail.

What is Musk's definition of the idiot index?

• A: The ratio of the cost of the finished product to the basic raw materials.
• B: The ratio of Republicans and Democrats in the Senate
• C: The ratio of the IQ score of an idiot and a genius
• D: The ratio of employees after and before he took over Twitter

What does Musk call a car factory?

• A: The machine that builds the machine.
• B: Where the machines of today build the machines of tomorrow.
• C: The source of traffic jams.
• D: The place where vision drives reality.

What is Musk's design process?

• A: Make requirements less dumb. Accelerate cycle time. Simplify or optimize. Delete the part or process. Automate.
• B: Make requirements less dumb. Simplify or Optimize. Automate. Accelerate cycle time. Delete part of process.
• C: Make requirements less dumb. Delete the part or process. Simplify or Optimize. Accelerate cycle time. Automate.
• D: Make requirements less dumb. Simplify or Optimize. Delete parts. Automate. Accelerate cycle time.

Whose was the ORIGINAL idea for the Tesla's flush door handles?

• A: Franz von Holzhausen
• B: Jony Ive
• C: Alec Issigonis
• D: Dieter Rams

What did Larry Ellison (Oracle founder, who joined the boards of only Apple and Tesla) say set Musk apart from Steve Jobs?

• A: Jobs did not like to mingle with the people doing the actual work. He liked to stay in his ivory tower.
• B: Jobs was better at keeping secrets.
• C: There is no place Musk fears to venture into. Jobs would not depart from consumer electronics.
• D: Musk, unlike Jobs, applied that obsession not just to the design of a product, but also to the underlying science, engineering and manufacturing.

Which of these does Musk consider a red flag?

• A: Too many rules and regulations
• B: Employees taking smoke breaks
• C: Managers aiming to be liked
• D: A lack of hustle

You want to meet someone in a 'safe' place (no guns). What is a good option?

• A: Delta Air Lines club at an airport
• B: Larry Page's mansion
• C: Apple Store on 5th Avenue
• D: Tree of Life Synagogue

Whose communiques should you be most wary of, according to Musk?

• A: Idiots, because they unintentionally break things.
• B: Smart people, because you might hesitate to question them.
• C: Managers, because they're only looking for credit.
• D: Laggards, because they don't know the latest.

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