‘Elon Musk’ biography becomes second bestseller by Walter Isaacson, ‘weird .. close-up pics’ says Musk

Elon Musk's biography by American author-journalist Walter Isaacson, saw strong strong sales during its first week after launch, with a total of 92,560 copies being sold. These figures encompass print copies sold up to September 16, according to data compiled by the book tracking platform Circana BookScan.  

Elon Musk in a post on social media platform X (formerly twitter) stated, “Cool, although it’s kinda weird seeing so many close-up pics of my face.”

These robust sale figures position the biography as the second best-selling title in its first week. Isaacson's 2011 biography of Apple Co-founder Steve Jobs, which sold nearly 383,000 copies during its first week. This book was published just weeks after Steve Jobs' death on October 5, 2011.

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Walter Isaacson, the author of the biography, pursued Elon Musk for two years. "Isaacson attended his meetings, walked his factories with him and spent hours interviewing him, his family, friends, co-workers and adversaries,” according to book’s publisher, Simon & Schuster.

Isaacson is renowned for his best-selling biographies of iconic figures like Albert Einstein and Benjamin Franklin.

“Elon Musk” also secured the top spot on The New York Times' combined print and e-book nonfiction and hardcover bestseller list. It is currently available on Amazon's bestseller list, selling for ₹952.

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The biography delves into various aspects of Elon Musk's life, shedding light on his personal relationships, including his involvement with multiple women and his children. The book also explores Musk's early struggles, citing emotional scars attributed to his father and his challenges in making friends during his school years. It reveals that Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk had to rely on books to learn about social cues, reflecting his journey from a “lonely and sad” in school child to a billionaire entrepreneur.

The biography provides insights into Musk's confrontations, including a verbal spat with billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates over Tesla's stock shorting in 2022.