Ep. 553 — Walter Isaacson

The Axe Files with David Axelrod

CNN

News

4.6 • 7.7K Ratings

🗓️ 19 October 2023

⏱️ 62 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Writer Walter Isaacson grew up in a family full of engineers and spent his spare time making radios and televisions sets. While he became a journalist and author instead, his interest in technology and science remained and has informed his selection of biography subjects, from Albert Einstein to Steve Jobs. Walter joined David to talk about his latest biography on Elon Musk and Musk's “epic hero visions of himself,” his technological genius, how Musk’s father’s treatment of him affected his personality, the openness and transparency Musk allowed Isaacson, and criticism Isaacson received for getting too close to Musk during the writing of his book, "Elon Musk."

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Music
0:06.0	And now from the Institute of Politics at the University of Chicago and CNN Audio, the Axwiles.
0:13.0	With your host, David Axelrod.
0:16.0	I had a public conversation last week with the eminent journalist and biographer Walter
0:21.0	Isaacson.
0:22.0	It was at the Chicago Humanities Festival, and the focus was his depthful new book Elon Musk
0:28.2	about the brilliant controversial and indisputably impactful inventor and entrepreneur.
0:34.2	But true to the spirit of the Axwiles, we also spoke about Isaacson himself, about his life and his gifts
0:41.2	and his fascination with the nature of genius.
0:44.2	Here's that conversation.
0:46.2	Music
0:50.2	Walter, there are a thousand things that I could ask you about Elon Musk.
0:53.2	I want to start off by asking you something about you.
0:58.2	You are a genius at writing about geniuses.
1:02.2	What are the trick, if you write about geniuses, people think you're a genius.
1:06.2	And you can fake them out.
1:08.2	That's very good.
1:09.2	I know a little about you.
1:11.2	I know your dad was an engineer.
1:13.2	I think that he had, I think he had something to do with the super dumb construction and a lot of other major projects.
1:22.2	Did he inculcate you?
1:23.2	Because you read this book, it's 605 pages or something.
	...

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