Power Play: Tesla, Elon Musk, and the Bet of the Century explained

Pub Date:	2021
Isbn:	978-0-385-54545-7
Publisher:	Doubleday
Power Play: Tesla, Elon Musk, and the Bet of the Century
Author:	Tim Higgins
Genre:	Non-fiction
Language:	English
Subject:	Tesla, Inc., Elon Musk

Power Play: Tesla, Elon Musk, and the Bet of the Century is Tim Higgins's book about Tesla, Inc., published in 2021, that focuses on the company while under the management of Elon Musk. The book does not contain any interviews with Musk himself, but many anonymous current and former executives from Tesla.^[1] In response to the book in general, Musk tweeted "Higgins managed to make his book both false *and* boring".^[2]

Reception

Star Tribune wrote that it "has done an outstanding job [and] performed a deep dive into the nuts and volts of Tesla."^[3] The Los Angeles Times Tesla reporter Russ Mitchell reviewed the book and stated "I’ve covered Tesla as a reporter since 2016. When Higgins writes about facts and situations I’m familiar with, I can attest he’s right on the button, every time. If there’s any nonsense in “Power Play,” Higgins isn't the source of it."^[4]

The Publishers Weekly review remarked that "Higgins takes an in-depth and well-balanced look at the interplay between Musk’s swashbuckling mindset of “building the airplane as [he] was heading down the runway” and the hardheadedness of Tesla's veteran engineers and leaders, who understood the rigors of making cars that could kill people if they malfunctioned."^[5] NPR noted that "[t]he book pays scant attention to Full Self-Driving Autopilot, the controversial self-driving software Musk has long promised is on the verge of perfection" but states that it "is hardly boring".^[6]

Tim Cook conversation controversy

Following early coverage of the book, Elon Musk denied a featured anecdote where supposedly he and Tim Cook spoke about the possibility of Apple acquiring Tesla.^[7]

Notes and References

1. Web site: Review: 'Power Play: Tesla, Elon Musk and the Bet of the Century,' by Tim Higgins. 2021-08-01. Star Tribune. Curt. Schleier. 30 July 2021. 2 August 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210802032415/https://www.startribune.com/review-power-play-tesla-elon-musk-and-the-bet-of-the-century-by-tim-higgins/600083162/. live.
2. Musk . Elon . elonmusk . 1421145405530771458. Higgins managed to make his book both false *and* boring . 30 July 2021 . 2021-08-02.
3. News: McFarland. Matt. 2015-05-11. The 22 most memorable quotes from the new Elon Musk book, ranked. en-US. The Washington Post. live. 2017-12-08. https://web.archive.org/web/20171204083356/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/innovations/wp/2015/05/11/the-22-most-memorable-quotes-from-the-new-elon-musk-book-ranked/. 4 December 2017. 0190-8286. dmy-all.
4. Web site: Mitchell. Russ. 2021-07-30. Review: A deep new history of Tesla takes the shine off Elon Musk. live. 2021-08-02. Los Angeles Times. en-US. 2 August 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210802080819/https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/books/story/2021-07-30/power-play-tesla-book-review. limited.
5. News: Nonfiction Book Review: Power Play: Tesla, Elon Musk, and the Bet of the Century by Tim Higgins. Doubleday, $30 (400p) ISBN 978-0-385-54545-7. en. PublishersWeekly.com. 2021-08-02. 2 August 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210802032413/https://www.publishersweekly.com/978-0-385-54545-7. live.
6. Web site: Tale Of Tesla, Elon Musk Is Inherently Dramatic And Compellingly Told In 'Power Play'. 2021-08-13. NPR.org. en. Camila. Domonoske. 12 August 2021. 13 August 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210813081731/https://www.npr.org/2021/08/12/1027032293/tale-of-tesla-elon-musk-is-inherently-dramatic-and-compellingly-told-in-power-pl. live.
7. Web site: Peters. Jay. 2021-07-30. Elon Musk and Apple deny wild story that he tried to replace Tim Cook. 2021-08-02. The Verge. en. 2 August 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210802032415/https://www.theverge.com/2021/7/30/22602017/elon-musk-tim-cook-apple-ceo-demand-tesla-acquisition. live.