Tim Higgins: Tesla, Elon Musk, and the Bet of the Century

Elon Musk is one of the most influential and controversial tech icons in Silicon Valley. He has talked about forward-thinking projects like mind-uploading and space travel, but by far his most bold and effective vision led to Tesla and the creation of a widely available and affordable electric vehicle. Before Tesla was founded in the early 2000s, electric cars were considered novelties. But as many cars were gas guzzlers, there was a great need for a more sustainable mode of transportation.

Power Play: Tesla, Elon Musk, and the Bet of the Century explores the Tesla phenomenon. Tim Higgins traces its history of a hellish first 15 years, attacks by rivals, pressure from investors and surprises by whistleblowers. As a Wall Street Journal tech and auto reporter, Higgins had a front-row seat for all the drama. He spent almost a decade reporting on the car business from Detroit before he moved to San Francisco and focused his writing more on Apple, Tesla and other tech companies.

Power Play is Tesla’s story of power, recklessness, struggle and triumph coming together to change the future. Join us as Tim Higgins discusses Tesla’s rise and what it means for a tech-driven future.

NOTES

Higgins photo by K. Fischer.

SPEAKERS

Tim Higgins
Automotive and Technology Reporter, The Wall Street Journal; Author Power Play: Tesla, Elon Musk, and the Bet of the Century

In Conversation with Joanna Stern
Senior Personal Technology Columnist, The Wall Street Journal

The Commonwealth Club of California is the nation's oldest and largest public affairs forum 📣, bringing together its 20,000 members for more than 400 annual events on topics ranging across politics, culture, society and the economy.

Founded in 1903 in San Francisco California 🌉, The Commonwealth Club has played host to a diverse and distinctive array of speakers, from Teddy Roosevelt in 1911 to Hillary Clinton in 2010. Along the way, Martin Luther King, Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton have all given landmark speeches at the Club.

[ElBillonario]

Steve Jobs, Bezzos, and Mr. West have the same qualities. Perfectionists and obsessed with details

[ericchild]

Thank you Tim for an excellent book which I really enjoyed. It was good to see the various different perspectives. To the haters, be aware I am a tsla investor and this book has not made me any less bullish, but I do feel bettet informed.

[joshirving]

Wow so negative, I'll skip this book. Tim sounds way too much of a hater.

[dougvalmore]

VERY SIGNIFICANT! What nearly nobody talks about w/amount of pollution/CO2 in ICE (Internal Combustion Engine) vs. EVs is this:
Yes, while EVs do not pollute while traveling they do use power to charge that pollutes. But consider: the average ICE car gets about 25 MPG. Leaving out the CO2 from its exhaust, the energy it takes to create the gas to get that 25 miles is TWICE the energy it takes to charge an EV to go 25 miles! Cracking crude oil is an energy intensive process!
Also, we can (and MUST) produce renewable electricity to save Earth! So put THAT in your pipe (but don't smoke it!).

[moebees]

False and boring pretty much sums up this guy