From Leonardo da Vinci to Elon Musk: Alumnus Walter Isaacson on the world’s greatest innovators

From Leonardo da Vinci to Elon Musk, what characterises the minds of the world’s greatest innovators and what can they teach us about what it takes to drive revolution? 

Walter Isaacson (1974, Rhodes Scholar) is a renowned biographer, journalist and professor. He is the bestselling author of biographies of Leonardo da Vinci, Steve Jobs, Benjamin Franklin, Albert Einstein, Jennifer Doudna, and most recently Elon Musk. Earlier in September he returned to Pembroke, where he first arrived as a Rhodes Scholar in 1974 to study Philosophy, Politics and Economics, to give a lecture titled ‘Lessons of the Great Innovators: From Leonardo da Vinci to Elon Musk’.

Having spent four decades studying and writing about some of history’s greatest innovators, Walter Isaacson has accrued not only an array of awards and recognitions, but a unique insight into the stories and the minds of the individuals whose creativity has shaped our society. We were delighted to welcome him back to Pembroke to share his research with a wide-ranging audience of Pembroke alumni, academics, students, staff, Rhodes Scholars and other members of the University and public. The event, held in the Pichette auditorium, formed part of our extensive calendar of activities intended to celebrate our 400th anniversary. 

Isaacson took the audience on a journey through turning points in our history and the people behind them, from Leonardo da Vinci and the scientific revolution, through to Elon Musk and the beginning of the era of artificial intelligence. He shared insights and anecdotes gleaned from his unique access to the lives of those individuals who have, in his words, created revolution.

Since his days as a Rhodes Scholar at Pembroke, Isaacson’s interest has been in the intersection of people and ideas; the notion that history is made by the people who ripple its surface and create inflection points through revolution. Reflecting on his time at Pembroke, he shared that “of all the formative influences in my life, other than my parents, I think Pembroke College is truly the place where I learned both a love of learning and of storytelling.”

The full talk can be watched on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q3_PbyOrYOI&t=806s