David Sarnoff (1891-1971) rose from Russian Jewish immigrant office boy to president/chairman of RCA. He drove commercial radio, founded NBC, and heavily funded early electronic TV development.

Similarities to Elon Musk: Both are high-profile visionary leaders who scaled emerging tech into massive industries through bold bets, team execution, and personal promotion. Sarnoff is often credited with radio/TV breakthroughs developed by engineers. He also joined 1929 RCA stock pool operations that artificially inflated prices (Pecora Commission documented short-term manipulation netting millions before the crash), paralleling criticisms of Musk’s social media moves affecting Tesla valuation.

Book for deeper reading: “David Sarnoff: A Biography” by Eugene Lyons (1966), the standard account.