Elon Musk personality type (An In-depth guide)

In this blog we will discuss Elon Musk’s personality type, and go ahead to look at what personality means, what are the different types of personalities according to the myers briggs type indicator, and what profession you are likely to excel in based on your personality type. 

Elon Musk Personality Type

Elon Musk’s personality type is the INTJ. It is supposed to be the best personality type fpr business. INTJ stands for the following traits:

I- Introverted

N- Intuitive

T- Thinking

J- Judging

Personality

Personality refers to the relatively enduring and permanent characteristic patterns of thinking, feeling, and behaving within an individual. One thing that is very important to note is that each person’s personality is in fact unique. 

The basic premise of the subject of personality states that each person is individually different and unique. Even when two personality types seem similar, they can actually turn out to be very different. 

Personality is said to be solidified by age 15, according to some theorists. Beyond this, our personality becomes relatively stable and permanent. While people can be trained to inculcate within themselves some personality traits considered to be beneficial, the foundation is basically enduring. 

Personality theorists have often varied on their views of whether personality is discrete in nature, or in fact exists on a continuum. Consider the example of introversion and extraversion. While some theorists believe that they are mutually exclusive tags or labels, others believe that they actually exist on a continuum and a person can exist anywhere in between the range of introversion and extraversion. 

Another prominent debate in personality has been between the trait and type approaches. While some researchers believe that personality can be classified into types (like the myers briggs type indicator), others believe that personality is actually made of different traits (like Cattell’s sixteen personality factors). 

Myers-Briggs Personality types

Myers Briggs Type Indicator (or MBTI) is a widely popular and well known personality based questionnaire. It divides people into one of the 16 probable personality types. It is widely used in the industrial set up. 

Myers- Briggs Type Indicator was pioneered by Katherine Cook Briggs and her daughter Isabel Briggs Myers. It is based on the theory of personality types by Carl Jung. 

Based on the typology, the four different psychological functions have 4 dichotomies as follows:

Introversion – Extraversion ( I / E )

Sensing – Intuition ( S / N )

Thinking – Feeling ( T/ F )

Judging – Perceiving ( J / P )

Based on these dichotomies, 16 personality types have been theorised which combine these functions in different forms. 

These are: 

• ISTJ
• INTJ
• ISFJ
• INFJ
• ISTP
• INTP
• ISFP
• INFP
• ESTJ
• ENTJ
• ESFJ
• ENFJ
• ESTP
• ENTP
• ESFP
• ENFP

Contribution of Musk’s personality to his success

Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, is one of the top entrepreneurs. His influence of the latest technology trends are always in the news, and he is a known name and face when it comes to innovation. 

Elon Musk’s journey has been nothing short of an inspiration, and his tremendous growth and success have become an example for a lot of people. In this article we will be looking at what are the traits and characteristics that make his personality. 

Elon Musk’s personality according to the Myers Briggs Type Indicator is the INTJ. INTJ stands for- introversion, intuition, thinking, judgement. According to this, he has the propensity to look beyond what is visible. This personality type tends to rely more on their rationality than their emotions. 

Another prominent personality trait of an INTJ is their determination and resilience even in the face of obstacles. It is the determination to keep going on, and not give up. It is this never say die attitude that sets INTJ’s apart and makes them good entrepreneurs. 

The intuitiveness that is an important factor for the INTJ personality also makes them have a lot of ideas, and their determination allows them to follow through with these ideas. Even with Elon Musk, he can be called a serial entrepreneur, he has started a lot of different projects, and did well in them as well. 

Further, INTJs have a commendable work ethic. Elon Musk believes in working tirelessly and doesn’t like to waste any time. Another innovative aspect is that INTJs choose challenging subjects/ projects that seem unachievable to others, but their dedication makes it possible to achieve such projects. 

Their innovative ideas make their ideas atypical and unconventional, which partly lead to their success. Their  out of the box thinking helps them get bigger things. Elon Musk does what he does because he truly believes in it. It is this conviction in his ideas that adds to his determination and ability to not give up. 

His love and belief for his ventures, makes him follow it and work for it as religiously as a religion. He has put his own personal financial life at risk for his ventures, and nurtured it as well as fiercely guarded it. 

Lastly, it is the rarity and novelty of his ideas that makes him and his ventures anti-ordinary. 

Personality and profession

The best known personalities for business according to the MBTI typology are said to be as follows:

INTJ- The Scientist

Famous personalities with INTJ are Elon Musk, Mark Zucerberg and the fictional character from Breaking Bad- Walter ‘Heisenberg’ White. 

INTJs are incredibly ambitious, and prefer rationality, logic, and structure over emotionality. They  prefer challenges, and are great problem solvers. 

INTP- The Professor

Famous INTP personalities include Bill Gates, Larry Page, and the fictional character Doc Brown from Back to the Future. 

INTPs are natural theorists and like to work logically. INTP stands for introversion, intuition, thinking and perceiving. It is the problem solving, and rationality that would make INTPs have good coaching and teaching skills. 

ENTJ- The Boss

Famous ENTJ personalities include Steve Jobs, Steve Martin and the fictional character of President Frank J. Underwood from the House of Cards. 

ENTJs are bold and innovative leaders who know how to find and take full advantage of opportunities offered to them. ENTJs are naturally social, and gel well in managerial roles as they are able to understand the psyche of others. 

They are charismatic personalities and enjoy roles that allow public speaking. 

ENTP- The Debater

Famous ENTP personalities include Walt Disney, Steve Wozniak, and the fictional character Tyrion Lannister from game of thrones. 

They are often getting into debates as they are critical of their surroundings. They see avenues for growth around them, and are not afraid to pursue them. They are able to identify issues, and waste no time in addressing them. Coaching of any type is thus a good career option for them, along with roles like that of a management consultant. 

INFJ- The Coach

Famous INFJ personalities include Bill Drayton, Martin Luther King Junior, and the fictional character Jon Snow from Game of thrones. 

INFJs are natural empaths and thrive on helping others. They are empathetic, caring, and highly creative. Good choices of occupation for INFJs include social enterprises that put them in a good position to help others, tutoring and the educational sector etc. 

INFP- The Optimist

Famous INFP personalities include Oprah WInfrey, Tom Hiddleston and the character Frodo Baggins from the famous Lord of the Rings franchise. 

As the title suggests, INFP (introverted, intuitive, feeling, perceiving) are optimistic in nature. They tend to see the best in all situations and even make the best of whatever life has to offer them. Their approach to life is open minded and positive. 

They do exceptionally well in professions like social media marketing, mental health. They work best when they can engage themselves fully in someone they care about. Their open and positive nature opens them up to possibilities that might be closed to those who do not think beyond their fears. 

ENFJ- The Hero

Famous ENFJ personalities include Barack Obama, John Cusack, and the fictional character Elizabeth Bennet from Pride and Prejudice. 

ENFJs are natural leaders, and extremely charming. The term stands for extroverted, Intuitive, Feeling and judging. They are extremely perceptive of people around them, and know exactly how to inspire them. 

ENFP- The Speaker

Famous ENFPs include Arianna Huffington, Russell Brand and the character Michael Scott from the popular TV show The Office. 

ENFP stands for extroverted, intuitive, feeling and perceiving. They are like the life of the party, and command everyone’s attention. They are great at networking, and enjoy managing big crowds. This makes them great at tasks like event planning and managerial positions. 

ISTJ- The Soldier

Famous ISTJ personalities include Peter Thiel, Angela Merkel, and the character Eddard Stark from Game of Thrones. 

ISTJ which stands for introverted, sensing, thinking, judging, are often the most sensitive as well as reliable. They are very responsible and take pride in their work. They are often the boss’s favourite. 

They like structure, and do not prefer risks. 

ISFJ- The Doctor

Famous ISFJ personalities include Jimmy Carter, Johnny Carson and the character Dr. John Warson from Sherlock Holmes. 

ISFJ stands for introverted, sensing, feeling and judging. They are great companions and confidantes. They have great interpersonal skills and build strong relationships. They love helping others, and shine best when connected to someone they value. 

Consulting, tutoring and coaching are the professional endeavours that are recommended for you if you are an ISFJ. 

ESTJ- The CEO

Famous personalities who have ESTJ type include Jeff Bezos, Frank Sinatra, and the fictional character Dwight Schrute from The Office. 

ESTJ stands for extroverted, sensing, thinking, judging. They have great initiative and are usually natural leaders that make everyone follow the rules. They value efficacy as well as order, and thrive in leadership roles. 

ESFJ- The Letterman

Famous ESFJ personalities include Andrew Carnegie, Bill Clinton and the famous TV show character Rachel Green from the sitcom Friends. 

ESFJ stands for extroverted, sensing, feeling and judging. They are popular to a fault and relish the spotlight. They are social beings that love interacting with people, and thrive on positive feedback from people as well as good social relations. This makes them good candidates for public relations, and event planning type job profiles. 

ISTP- The DaVinci

Famous ISTP personalities include Richard Branson, Bear Grylls and the character John mcClane from Die Hard. 

They are naturally curious people, who love to explore their interests. Their interests range vast and wide, and they excel in mostly all of them. They are practical, and prefer concrete problems. 

ISFP- The Artist

Famous ISFP personalities include John Ive, Michael Jackson, and the character Eowyn from Lord of the Rings. 

They are always in search, as well as in appreciation of art. They have a good eye for aesthetics, and love to create. They prefer freelance work, like writing, photography, painting etc. 

Professional life is not just about money for them, but also about having a chance to get creative and explore themselves. 

ESTP- TheHustler

Famous personalities include Thomas Edison, Nicolas Sarkozy, Seth Garyson from the show House of Cards etc. 

They are always up to something, and are very social beings. They are not afraid of taking risks, and work really well in the field of sales. They have a lot of natural charisma, and so job profiles that need charisma work well for them. 

ESFP- The Entertainer

Famous ESFP personalities include Mark Cuban, Larry Ellison, and the famous fictional twins Fred and George Weasley from the iconic Harry Potter series. 

They love being the center of attention, and are the life of every party. They love to have fun! They do well as actors, comedians, musicians, etc as their gregarious and charismatic personality gets an avenue to shine. 

Conclusion

In this article we looked at Elon Musk’s personality type according to the MBTI. further we looked at what personality means, what the MBTI measures, and how different MBTI personality types fit into different professions. 

If you’ve enjoyed the ”Elon Musk personality type” mentioned above, I would recommend you to take a look at ”11 Androgynous celebrities” and ”Bubbly Personality’‘ too.

Frequently asked questions (FAQs): Elon Musk personality type

References

Tran T.H., (n.d) Best personality types for business (and how to use Myers-Briggs to find your PERFECt match). https://growthlab.com/what-type-of-business-you-should-start-based-on-your-myers-briggs-type/

Tanwar L., (2017) 15 personality traits of Elon Musk. Business Alligators. https://www.businessalligators.com/elon-musk-personality-traits/