#1082 - Eric Jorgenson - The Wild Psychology of Elon Musk
4/9/20261 hr 36 min
Eric Jorgenson is an investor, entrepreneur, and author. How does Elon Musk actually think? You can analyze him from first principles, but the closest thing to a blueprint is Eric Jorgenson’s The Book of Elon. So what’s really going on in his mind, and what makes him so extraordinary? Expect to learn what the most misleading narrative about Elon’s success is, why Elon decides to move so fast and his obsession with speed, why Eric decided to document the mind behind Elon Musk, what he decided to leave out of the book, What Eric learned about Elon that other biographies missed, what the 69 core Musk methods are, if Elon’s worldview is closer to philosophy than business and much more… Sponsors: See discounts for all the products I use and recommend: https://chriswillx.com/deals Get up to $350 off the Eight Sleep Pod 5 at https://eightsleep.com/modernwisdom Get 10% discount on all Gymshark products at https://gym.sh/modernwisdom (use code MODERNWISDOM10) Get 160+ biomarkers tested for just $1/day and save an extra $25 at https://functionhealth.com/modernwisdom Get a Free Sample Pack of LMNT’s most popular flavours with your first purchase at https://drinklmnt.com/modernwisdom Extra Stuff: Get my free reading list of 100 books to read before you die: https://chriswillx.com/books Try my productivity energy drink Neutonic: https://neutonic.com/modernwisdom Episodes You Might Enjoy: #577 - David Goggins - This Is How To Master Your Life: lnkfi.re/SN-Goggins #712 - Dr Jordan Peterson - How To Destroy Your Negative Beliefs: lnkfi.re/SN-Peterson #700 - Dr Andrew Huberman - The Secret Tools To Hack Your Brain: lnkfi.re/SN-Huberman
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Clips
Showing 10 of 14Transcript preview
First 90 secondsChris Williamson· Host0:00
How many copies of The Navalmanac have you sold now?
Eric Jorgenson· Guest0:02
It's tough to know, but I think we're coming up on two million.
Chris Williamson· Host0:06
How's that feel?
Eric Jorgenson· Guest0:06
I'm still, uh, the word I like to use is gobsmacked. Like, I really thought I was doing fan service for a few thousand Naval nerds.
Chris Williamson· Host0:14
Mm.
Eric Jorgenson· Guest0:14
And the fact that it's, like, 40 languages and millions of people, and we've given away a few million more, right? Like, I don't even really know. Um- Oh, so that's how many were sold- Sold ...
Chris Williamson· Host0:22
'cause it was available for free through the website.
Eric Jorgenson· Guest0:24
Yeah, which is another, like, five million plus. Really hard to track.
Chris Williamson· Host0:27
I think it's my most suggested book. When people say, "Where should I start with personal development?" Essentialism by Greg McKeown or The Navalmanac.
Eric Jorgenson· Guest0:37
That's incredible. And, and that's... I mean, I had no idea how many people were gonna resonate with it and recommend it, and, you know, I think the highest compliment a gift-- uh, the highest compliment a book can receive is to be gifted.
Chris Williamson· Host0:48
Mm.
Eric Jorgenson· Guest0:48
Um, and so much of what we read comes from what's recommended. Like, how often do you see an ad for a book and buy it? Like, almost never.
Chris Williamson· Host0:55
Yeah.
Eric Jorgenson· Guest0:55
The bars are too high.
Chris Williamson· Host0:56
Yeah. And the subtitle of this new one is A Guide to Purpose and Success.
Eric Jorgenson· Guest1:01
Yeah.
Chris Williamson· Host1:02
About Elon. Why pick that? Why purpose specifically?
Eric Jorgenson· Guest1:06
It was-- It's emergent. I mean, when I write these books, I start with millions and millions of words of source material, everything they've ever shared publicly, and I try to figure out, like, what is the essence of the person? What is the thing that is most special about them that anybody can learn from? And we all know that Elon is, like, massively productive. I feel like the question everybody's asking is kind of like, "How the hell did this happen?" Like, how does he get so much done?
Chris Williamson· Host1:28
Mm.
Eric Jorgenson· Guest1:29
But