KILDARE TV COLUMN: An insight into the controversial Elon Musk

At the time of writing this article, Elon Musk has 119 million followers on Twitter. That figure, along with a personal fortune that hovers close to $200 billion, is a numerical representation of the impact this man has had since he first emigrated from South Africa aged just 17.

The Elon Musk Show (BBC Two) is a three part series that gives a unique insight into Musk’s world.

Featuring interviews from those closest to him: his mother, past and present business associates, his estranged father and ex-wives, this documentary is essential viewing for anyone hoping to gain an insight into the man behind the headlines.

It transpires that Musk had quite a traumatic childhood.

He recounts scenes of domestic violence perpetrated against his mother by his father (his father denies these allegations).

Added to this, he was bullied atrociously at school. One anecdote that is mentioned is when the school bullies targeted Musk’s one remaining friend, telling him that the only way he himself could avoid being bullied was by ending his friendship with Elon.

It would have been understandable for Musk to crumple in this oppressive environment, but his nature didn’t allow him. The show guides you through Musk’s association with his best known business ventures: PayPal, SpaceX and of course Tesla.

What becomes abundantly clear is that Musk is a fiercely competitive and demanding employer. This is obvious in the segments chronicling his endeavours with SpaceX. Working on a budget that was meager compared to what a nation state could muster, Musk marshaled a group of engineers to work harder and longer than they could ever have imagined.

Their aim was to perfect a viable rocket that could transport its payload, reach its destination and, having done that, safely land back on earth so that it could be re-used.

With a huge NASA contract on the line, we see Musk and his SpaceX colleagues endure malfunctions and explosions until finally, the technology is perfected in the nick of time.

Likewise with Tesla. The documentary charts the company, from when it was initially acquired by Musk in 2004 to its 2010 launch on the stock exchange, and beyond.

When market analysts said that any investors would be crazy to gamble on Musk’s precocious company, the show captures their confusion when the shares sky rocketed, and we can also see Musk’s gleeful reaction to having confounded his critics.

A quasi cult has emerged around Musk. To his acolytes, he is a savior-savant who will use his huge IQ and massive fortune to cure all humanity’s ills.

Find it difficult to make secure payments online? Never fear, PayPal will help.

Think free speech on Twitter is being threatened? No hassle, Musk is here.

Is global warming keeping you up at night? Don’t worry, Tesla will fix that problem.

The truth of the matter is much less simple than all of that. In an interview with Linette Lopez from Business Insider, we learn about an exclusive she did with a whistle-blower from Tesla which alleged huge levels of waste and inefficiency at the company.

Also detailed are Musk’s ‘unconventional’ HR practices, the $20 million fine imposed on him by the Securities and Exchange Commission, and accidents involving over-heating Tesla batteries.

Musk’s recent takeover of Twitter has again catapulted him to the top of the headlines.

Whether you’re blue-ticked, grey-ticked, or not interested in Twitter at all, this documentary is a great insight into one of the most controversial figures of our time.

For fans who think he can do no wrong, as the saying goes, never meet your heroes.