Elon Musk is a South African billionaire entrepreneur known for founding the spacecraft company SpaceX as well as being the chief executive officer of Tesla, which manufactures electric cars. He has quite the portfolio, so it made us wonder, which personality type is Elon Musk?

Elon Musk has a personality type of INTP, or “The Architect,” according to the Myers-Brigg Type Indicator, which is one of the world’s most widely used tools for mapping out personalities. 

Let’s see how Elon matches up to this personality type below.

He Has A Personality Type of INTP

Elon Musk’s personality type is INTP. But what does this mean?

This stands for Introvert (I), Intuition (N), Thinking (T), and Perceiving (P). 

Individuals with this personality type are often problem-solvers and think analytically. They are innovators, optimists, and generally see room for improvement in any or every area of their lives. 

The INTP type is also known as the “Architect,” because architects are curious, ambitious, logical thinkers, and are independent. They tend to thrive on the notion that life is an abstract puzzle that they have to solve. 

Now that you know Elon’s four-letter code, let’s unlock the mystery behind it.

Introvert (I)

Elon’s first letter is an I, which stands for Introvert. The other option would be extrovert.

Introverts are shy and socially reluctant. 

Architects tend not to be social butterflies, and Elon typically doesn’t get labeled that way. As an introvert, interest in his own thoughts is most consuming. 

If you watch him during interviews, you may notice that he does not prefer to take command of the stage. In fact, he even said so himself in a Tweet.

His arms are usually at his side and he doesn’t move around the stage as a seasoned performer would; he stays pretty stagnant. His intonation or tone of voice remains relatively even, and filler words like “uh” and “um,” are common too.

When he speaks, he takes a moment to gather his thoughts. He speaks of technical jargon and theoretical principles, research, plans for the future — he takes his ideas and his work seriously. 

These are all classic qualities of introverts.

This short video shows you a few good examples of how he is an introvert. 

Intuition (N)

Elon is also intuitive, represented by the letter “N”. Intuitive people use patterns and impressions to make sense of their world, versus people that are sensory (“S”, the other option), perceive through the senses. 

If he were a sensory type, Elon probably would have taken up sports or other physical activities during his childhood, but instead he was an avid book nerd and deeply regarded higher education. He wasn’t one for sports. 

His brother once told a journalist that Elon would read 2 books a day. 

A love of reading books is a good indicator of an intuitive and introverted personality.

Elon is also undeniably into physics, given his SpaceX business and electric car-making company Tesla. He is also the cofounder of electronic payment company PayPal.

He completed a double major in physics and commerce, earning his bachelor’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania.  

Intuitive types are attracted to physics and the study of how things work because as we said, The Architect is all about innovating, analzying and solving problems. 

Other well-known intuitive types are Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, and the late, great Steve Jobs. 

Thinking (T)

People who base their decisions on logic over emotions are thinkers (T), versus feelers (F).

Elon is a thinker.

When speaking, he clearly pauses to help him make sense of things.

He can easily ping-pong back and forth in conversation if it’s related to anything in his field of work, be it artificial intelligence or flying space cars. 

Elon does have a bit of a reputation as coming off as rude, or fiery, ousting staff who are not up to par with his expectations. He is strong-willed and guarded. These are all signs of a thinker.

Another indicator of a thinker type is that Elon talks about technology or physics, even when he is talking about people. 

He once said in an interview that “Ever person is your company is a vector.” Okay, Elon! 

Percieving (P) 

This last one is the most controversial about Elon Musk. He demonstrates qualities of being both a Judger (J) and a Perciever (P), but many believe that he is of the perceiving type.

People who have judgement qualities are strong in their ability to plan and execute. Elon seems to have this ability, but he has said otherwise. 

He said in an interview that he doesn’t “really have any business plans.” So perhaps he is not such a planner after all. Check out the interview he did below.

Another factor in having the perceiving quality is the attentiveness to flexibility, and this most often shows up in how people dress. 

Many well-known entrepreneurs dress pretty consistently — you see the same plain grey T-shirt on Mark Zuckerberg every time you see his face and you probably best remember Steve Jobs donning that classic black turtleneck while holding up an iPod.

On the other hand, Elon switches it up. We don’t see him wearing the same ole’ thing in every interview or presentation. 

From sleek suits, to button-up blazers with stylish oxford shoes, to laid-back jeans and a t-shirt, he likes variety. 

This shows us that Elon is perceptive and adaptable, versus judgers who prefer order and consistency. 

The Takeaway 

Going by the popular Myers-Briggs personality test, Elon seems to be the Architect. 

He is drawn to logics, to design, and to unpacking life’s most mysterious puzzles and solving them. 

If you would like to see how you’d score on a personality test, you can take one here:

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