Who is Elon Musk?

Elon Musk’s brilliant career was made by possible by three things: his relentless genius, America’s openness to foreign born talents, and the dynamism of capitalism. Walter Isaacson’s fine new biography highlights the first factor but is less strong on the influence of the second two, even as he provides ample information that demonstrate their importance. And despite his success and immense wealth, Musk remains at risk of ultimate failure—not only because of the occasional hubris and instability of his genius, but because of the decline of American respect for the freedoms that makes robust capitalism possible.