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This is Elon Musk’s favorite book. He’s been rereading it for 23 years straight, and it inspired his most famous engineering-first approach. Here are the 7 lessons from “Structures: Or Why Things Don’t Fall Down” that made Elon the 1st person worth over $400B+: Elon Musk’s incredible journey from self-taught engineer to the world’s richest man owes much to one book: Structures: Or Why Things Don’t Fall Down by J.E. Gordon. This book helped Musk learn rocket science when he couldn’t afford to hire experts, and its principles became the foundation of his ventures like SpaceX, Tesla, and Neuralink. Here are 7 key lessons from Structures that shaped Musk’s philosophy: 1. Start with First Principles: Break problems into their simplest forms. Musk used this to slash SpaceX’s launch costs by 90%. 2. Simplify to Scale: Complexity increases failure. Tesla’s minimalist designs and SpaceX’s reusable rockets prove simplicity works. 3. Build Redundancy: Small flaws can cause disasters. SpaceX rockets have backups for nearly everything. 4. Adapt to Survive: Flexibility ensures resilience. Musk’s companies thrive by evolving with technology and markets. 5. Think Long-Term: Build for the future. Musk’s vision for Mars and sustainable energy stems from planning for what’s ahead. 6. Fail Fast, Learn Faster: Failures aren’t defeats; they’re lessons. SpaceX’s early crashes led to better rockets. 7. Inspire Through Vision: Engineering tells a story. Musk’s big ideas inspire teams and captivate the world. These principles go beyond engineering—they apply to life and business. From running companies to solving problems, Musk proves the power of thinking deeply, learning constantly, and acting boldly. Which principle resonates with you most? Musk’s success shows that even with limited resources, a strong foundation can lead to greatness. Structures wasn’t just a book for him—it was a blueprint for changing the world. Follow for more amazing content like this!