Ashlee Vance Books

"When the Heavens Went on Sale" by Ashlee Vance explores the rise of private companies shaping the new space economy, starting with SpaceX's Falcon 1 launch. Vance chronicles the efforts of Astra, Firefly, Planet Labs, and Rocket Lab to revolutionize rocket and satellite launches, revealing the vibrant chaos and ambition driving this unprecedented era in aerospace.

Elon Musk, the entrepreneur and innovator behind SpaceX, Tesla, and SolarCity, sold one of his internet companies, PayPal, for $1.5 billion. Ashlee Vance captures the full spectacle and arc of the genius' life and work, from his tumultuous upbringing in South Africa and flight to the United States to his dramatic technical innovations and entrepreneurial pursuits. Vance uses Musk's story to explore one of the pressing questions of our age: can the nation of inventors and creators who led the modern world for a century still compete in an age of fierce global competition? He argues that Musk is an amalgam of legendary inventors and industrialists including Thomas Edison, Henry Ford, Howard Hughes, and Steve Jobs. More than any other entrepreneur today, Musk has dedicated his energies and his own vast fortune to inventing a future that is as rich and far-reaching as the visionaries of the golden age of science-fiction fantasy

In the spirit of Steve Jobs and Moneyball, this book offers an illuminating and authorized look at the extraordinary life of one of Silicon Valley’s most ambitious entrepreneurs—a real-life Tony Stark. It highlights the technology and vision of Elon Musk, the innovator behind SpaceX, Tesla, and SolarCity, who famously sold PayPal for $1.5 billion. The author captures the full arc of Musk’s life, from his tumultuous upbringing in South Africa to his dramatic innovations and entrepreneurial ventures in the U.S. The narrative explores a pressing question of our time: can America, the nation of inventors, still compete in an era of fierce global competition? The author argues that Musk is a unique figure in American business history, embodying a blend of legendary inventors and industrialists like Thomas Edison and Steve Jobs. Musk has committed his energies and vast fortune to creating a future that mirrors the visions of science-fiction's golden age. This thorough and insightful examination of Musk’s life reveals the rapidly changing technology industry through the lens of one of its most powerful and influential figures.

The definitive guide to the places and people that built the area between San Francisco and San Jose, California, evoking a sense of the Hollywood-like magic that made Silicon Valley a locale envied the world over.

Elon Musk ist der da Vinci des 21. Jahrhunderts. Seine Firmengründungen lesen sich wie das Who’s who der zukunftsträchtigsten Unternehmen der Welt. Alles, was dieser Mann anfasst, scheint zu Gold zu werden. Mit PayPal revolutionierte er das Zahlen im Internet, mit Tesla schreckte er die Autoindustrie auf und sein Raumfahrtunternehmen SpaceX ist aktuell das weltweit einzige Unternehmen, das ein Raumschiff mit großer Nutzlast wieder auf die Erde zurückbringen kann. Dies ist die persönliche Geschichte hinter einem der größten Unternehmer seit Thomas Edison, Henry Ford oder Howard Hughes. Das Buch erzählt seinen kometenhaften Aufstieg von seiner Flucht aus Südafrika mit 17 Jahren bis heute. Elon Musk gilt als der »Real Iron Man« – in Anlehnung an einen der erfolgreichsten Comichelden der Welt. Es ist die gleichsam inspirierende, persönliche und spannende Geschichte eines der erfolgreichsten Querdenker der Welt. In einem Umfang wie noch kein Journalist zuvor hatte Ashlee Vance für diese Biografie exklusiven und direkten Zugang zu Elon Musk, seinem familiären Umfeld und persönlichen Freunden. Mit 16 Seiten exklusiven und persönlichen Bildern aus Elon Musks persönlichem Fotoalbum.