American author Walter Isaacson, who has closely followed Tesla CEO Elon Musk for nearly three years and penned his biography, remarked that regardless of personal opinions, the tech billionaire is impossible to overlook.
What Happened: During his appearance on CNBC’s ‘Squawk Box’ on Thursday, Isaacson discussed various topics, including his current belief that Twitter, now rebranded as X, might “crash and burn,” the prevalence of plagiarism on campuses, and more.
In response to Steve Liesman’s All-America Economic Survey, released earlier in the week, Isaacson noted that Berkshire Hathaway CEO Warren Buffett was the sole billionaire with a positive rating. Musk received a zero, while Bill Gates, Jeff Bezos, and Mark Zuckerberg all fell on the negative side of the spectrum.
“Zero meaning balance, haters and lovers,” Isaacson said, adding, “Musk has always been polarizing, but he has fervent fans.”
“John Oliver did this piece on him that was sort of critical, but by the end, says the same thing. This guy is all over our lives. We got to understand him,” Isaacson said.
“That’s kind of the point of my book, which is he’s all over our lives and also because he is a fascinating character who is going to enrage you, but he’s also going to engage you. You got to figure him out.”
Why It’s Important: Earlier this week, comedian and television host Oliver’s segment on Musk went viral. During the piece, Oliver suggested that Musk could “pull off any bad guy in a movie.”
Oliver criticized Musk for strained relationships with advertisers like Walt Disney and his push for the polarizing design of the Tesla Cybertruck. However, he praised Musk for his contributions to electric cars and space exploration.
In response, Musk acknowledged that Oliver was “great” but mentioned that he stopped being funny once he sold his “soul to wokeness.”
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