I Was Riveted

Sean McLaughlin
April 17, 2022

I caught the last 30 minutes-ish of the live Elon Musk interview on TED Talks Thursday morning and I found it riveting. Sadly, I missed most of the discussion regarding his recent splashes with Twitter.

Picking up when I did, there were other things I should’ve been doing (writing this note, for example), but I was immediately hooked. I couldn’t peel myself away from it.

It felt like a real earnest look into the mind of a savant.

Say what you will about Elon Musk the Man, Elon Musk the Innovator, Elon Musk the Political Animal, or Elon Musk the Podcaster and Tweeter. I’m not here to pass any judgments on who he is, what he stands for, or how he accomplishes his aims.

What stood out for me during the chat was the laser focus he has on things he puts his mind to.

When he mentioned that he understands deeply how EVERY piece of his cars are made and assembled, and when he uttered that there is nobody on Planet Earth currently living who knows more about manufacturing then him, I believed him. He wasn’t trying to impress us with this information. He was saying it matter-of-factly.

Yet, as impressive as all his accomplishments (and failures) to this point have been, he has so many higher goals to achieve for himself, and by extension for mankind.

But at the same time, I was feeling a little sad for him. He had the appearance of an individual who is tortured by an ever-inquisitive mind that has no on/off switch. It’s just ON all the time, cranked to eleven.

It hit home for me.

As a Trader who is always trying to find new ways to pull money from the markets,

I can relate to what it’s like to be obsessed with an idea. And it often isn't exactly a healthy way to live. I’ve had many sleepless nights, lost appetites, short tempers, fights with people I love, and decreased attention spans on the things in life that should matter more, all because I was lost in my own head trying to solve some kind of market puzzle.

Now, I have a hunch that I’m a little better at getting away from it all from time to time than Elon is, but I know what that obsession feels like and it hurts me to see it on another man’s face, especially when it feels like it’s 10-x’d for Elon.

I don’t really have an anecdote to offer here. This is really just a stream of consciousness riff in the immediate minutes following what I just watched. If nothing else, I’m putting it on record that I stood witness to greatness – as fantastic, problematic, and flawed as it may seem or in fact be.

~ @chicagosean

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