When I set out to write a bio on @elonmusk, he was worth but a paltry few billion. Did not really think I'd end up writing about the richest person in the world because his companies were so risky

How many people put in a similar position would take a personal fortune of $200 million and bet it all on solar, electric cars and rockets in 2001? I bet if you run the simulation again and again, it ends up with 1

That he lost all the money and still ended up as the richest person - that Tesla and SpaceX survived the 2008 crash - has to be right up there with the most unlikely business stories of all time

Elon has had his ups and downs both in business and in personal terms, but it's pretty clear that he is the biggest risk taker we've seen in our lifetimes.

It still remains very interesting to see where Tesla and SpaceX end up. That said, as far as moments in time go, this is so far beyond surprising