Elon Musk Got a Suspicious Glow-Up in His Biography Cover Art

You know those “spot the difference” side-by-side picture games that typically populate the back of kids’ magazines? Well, I’ve got a new, fun one for you. Check out the cover art for Elon Musk’s biography that Simon & Schuster revealed today and then compare it to the above photo. A few discrepancies—the least of which is the piercing stare intent on bankrupting your soul—are noticeable!

Also missing in action on the book cover is the Twitter CEO’s buccal fat. Musk has made no secret of his use of Wegovy, which I’m actually sort of appreciative of. I’d much rather someone tell the public the truth about their fast weight loss than do an exclusive interview with a tabloid about how much they run each week. I digress! Be it an actual medical procedure or a digital slight of hand, the man suddenly has Elon-gated cheekbones. It’s a severely flattering photo of a man whose business acumen amounts to brute luck at best; who allegedly paid off a flight attendant after exposing himself to her; and who’s made a habit of spewing transphobic jokes online.

On Thursday, the imprint announced that biographer Walter Isaacson’s book on Musk will be published on September 12—Isaacson also wrote fellow Silicon Valley giant Steve Job’s 2011 biography, which similarly featured the subject with his hands gently caressing his chin on the cover. (Ahh, the thinking man’s pose.)

Simon & Schuster’s description of the book calls Musk “a tough yet vulnerable man-child, prone to abrupt Jekyll-and-Hyde mood swings, with an exceedingly high tolerance for risk, a craving for drama, an epic sense of mission, and a maniacal intensity that was callous and at times destructive.” I think anyone able to read through the lines of that characterization might come to their own conclusions about Musk’s mental state, but of course, what’s worrying is the number of people who won’t.

The promo ends with the question, “Are the demons that drive Musk also what it takes to drive innovation and progress?” Personally, I’m inclined to not support abusive behavior under the guise of brilliance. Though I’m afraid many readers, including his delusional fanboys, might walk away from the biography thinking, “yes!” The genius-pose cover art doesn’t help dissuade them from such a conclusion! Though, I may join him in clasping my hands in prayer, begging that the book cuts him down to size a couple billion inches.