New Elon Musk Bio: An Up-Close Look at the Billionaire's Extreme Ambition

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The biggest takeaway from technology journalist Ashlee Vance's new biography, Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future, is clear: The South African-born self-made billionaire's ambition will stop at nothing. But what really makes this tale of drive so interesting is Musk's track record to date. He's the man behind PayPal, Tesla Motors , SpaceX, and SolarCity . Vance's take on Musk gives readers an unbiased glimpse into the entrepreneur's undeniable success in some of the world's toughest industries for start-ups.

Ahead of the book's release on May 19, here are some of the most intriguing excerpts.

The PayPal Mafia While Musk made his first fortune from an early start-up called Zip2, it was at PayPal that the entrepreneur first showed his ability to challenge a complex industry already set in its ways.

Musk's central role as co-founder of PayPal shouldn't be overlooked. In retrospect, the PayPal history is evidence of Musk's unquestionable genius at rallying talented individuals around a big goal and making things happen.

Musk's uncanny ability to build successful organizations hit new levels after PayPal.

"During a time in which clean-tech businesses have gone bankrupt with alarming regularity, Musk has built two of the most successful clean-tech companies in the world," Vance writes. "The Musk Co. empire of factories, tens of thousands of workers, and industrial might has incumbents on the run and has turned Musk into one of the richest men in the world, with a net worth around $10 billion."

Tesla factory in Fremont, California. Source: Tesla Motors.

Musk's track record suggests his lofty goals are achievable Vance goes beyond simply laying out Musk's track record. His portrait of Musk shows just how crucial the entrepreneur was to the major achievements behind every start-up he was involved with. Going even further, Vance's report of Musk led him to believe PayPal's achievements might have been limited by a cautious board of directors who had trouble wrapping their minds around Musk's unbridled ambition.

"History has demonstrated that while Musk's goals can sound absurd in the moment, he certainly believes in them and, when given enough time, tends to achieve them," Vance argues.

Some of Musk's current visions that are often criticized as overly optimistic include:

At Tesla, where Musk is CEO, he wants to sell 500,000 vehicles per year by 2020, up from management's target to sell just 55,000 vehicles this year.
At SpaceX, the other company where Musk is currently CEO, he wants to put a man on Mars in 10 years.
Combining Tesla's new battery storage business and the solar panel operations at SolarCity, where Musk serves as chairman, Musk wants to catalyze a global transition to sustainable energy.

Sparking a new level of innovation in Silicon Valley After studying Musk, Vance believes that the entrepreneur is playing a key role in pushing Silicon Valley toward greater innovation and more meaningful work.

Vance describes a lull in Silicon Valley between 2002 and 2007:

SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft, designed to take astronauts to and from space. Image source: SpaceX.

But Musk's bold vision and willingness to take risks, paired with surprisingly robust execution, in the automotive, space, and energy industries, Vance explains, set a new precedent.

Of the many profiles of business leaders, Vance's take on Musk is among the best. The author's objective and unbiased viewpoint captures Musk's good and bad, his achievements and failures. Based on more than 30 hours of conversations with Musk, and interviews with close to 300 people, this investigative biography captures many facets of the inventor and entrepreneur. Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future should be required reading for anyone in business.

The article New Elon Musk Bio: An Up-Close Look at the Billionaire's Extreme Ambition originally appeared on Fool.com.

Daniel Sparks owns shares of Apple and Tesla Motors. The Motley Fool recommends Apple, Facebook, Google (A and C shares), Intel, SolarCity, Tesla Motors, Twitter, and Yelp. The Motley Fool owns shares of Apple, Facebook, Google (A and C shares), SolarCity, Tesla Motors, and Twitter. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.