An unvarnished, critical graphic biography of the tech innovator and former presidential confidant by the author/illustrator of Putin’s Russia: The Rise of a Dictator and Billionaires: The Lives of the Rich and Powerful.
Darryl Cunningham’s new graphic biography of Elon Musk is a riveting deep-dive into the audacious mind and tumultuous journey of the world’s richest man. Using his signature pictographic style—clean lines, vivid colors, and lean panel compositions—Cunningham peels back the layers of myth around Musk to deliver a timely portrait that is provocative and informative.
Spanning several generations, the book traces Musk’s journey from his family roots in South Africa and his grandfather’s role in the Technocracy Movement to his current position at the apex of tech power and far-right politics. From Musk’s early education and influences, the creation of PayPal, and the meteoric rise of Tesla and SpaceX thanks to millions in government handouts, to his ascension as a “dark MAGA” influencer and kingmaker, Elon Musk: American Oligarch captures the tension, tumult, and chaos in which oligarchs thrive today.
Cunningham’s award-winning clarity and style sparkle as he presents freewheeling financial and engineering concepts used by startups and tech companies. This fast-paced biography reveals the complex interactions of visionary ideas, relentless drive, and unyielding ambition. Elon Musk: American Oligarch offers a fresh, unvarnished look at Musk’s rise, aggressive leadership style, and appetite for risk-taking that have propelled him into a unique position as an unelected private business owner with unprecedented access to political power.
What People Are Saying
"Darryl Cunningham distills extensive research into a sharp, accessible narrative that breaks down Elon Musk’s complex and often troubling life story. Elon Musk: American Oligarch offers a stark warning: beware of Musk and his dystopian vision—a techno-fascist future that fuses South African apartheid, Jim Crow racism, and anti-democratic plutocracy, all in service of his personal gain." Mike Konopacki, illustrator and co-author of Howard Zinn’s A People’s History of American Empire
"Darryl Cunningham tells a frightening tale of money and power. And how money can buy power. Elon Musk: American Oligarch is informative and engaging to its very last page." Noah Van Sciver, author and illustrator of The Hypo: The Melancholic Young Lincoln
"The book draws from a bevy of published books, reports, and interviews about Musk and other featured characters. It renders Musk as an enigmatic figure, his motivations unclear and his statements contradictory. Through his past actions and quotations, a compelling, cohesive, and often critical narrative is formed, illuminating the personal life, business ventures, and politics of a person with an outsized influence on the contemporary world. The art is simple and effective, using panels to convey not just personal interactions, but also maps and informational graphics. Metaphors make dry subjects more interesting: a failed business merger is illustrated as two jigsaw puzzle pieces being forced together. Visual humor lightens the book, seen in a panel that shows a Lord of the Rings-loving business partner in Middle-Earth garb. Elon Musk: American Oligarch is a fascinating graphic biography of a controversial man." Foreword reviews