What are Elon Musk's Enneagram and Myers-Briggs Personality Types?

Entrepreneur, engineer, billionaire, visionary, egomaniac—whatever words you use to describe Elon Musk, you have to be curious about what makes him tick. His extraordinary shake ups in the fields of space exploration, electric cars, renewable energy and, more recently, social media have got the world talking, attracting admiration and disdain in equal measure. But apart from his ridiculous IQ and clear Drive typing on the DISC system, what else can we glean about his personality and motivations?

Based on our analysis, we believe that Musk is INTP in the 16-type system based on  Myers and Briggs and an Enneagram Type 5.

Many have typed Musk as an INTJ and Enneagram Type 8, and there's plenty of evidence pointing in that direction. But in this analysis, we're going to be guided by Musk himself. In an interview with Business Insider, he explained that his bold and confident public persona is not reflective of his true self: “I’m basically like an introverted engineer. It took a lot of practice and effort to be able to go up on stage and not just stammer.”

Enneagram Type 5: The Investigator

Best known as the founder and chief engineer of groundbreaking companies like Tesla and SpaceX, and with a knack for doing the seemingly impossible, Elon Musk first-and-foremost is an engineer. This aligns with the core personality traits of an Enneagram Type 5. Fives are intensely curious, out-of-the-box thinkers who prefer to figure big ideas out for themselves rather than relying on others. Musk's reputation for being a self-taught expert in multiple fields, from coding to brain implants to building recyclable rockets, hint at a Type 5's thirst for knowledge.

From the outside: Spotting the 5

• Curious and innovative: For the Type Five, a day without learning is like a day without eating. They’re driven by a deep desire to understand the world at a foundational level by exploring every angle.  “It is important to view knowledge as sort of a semantic tree—make sure you understand the fundamental principles, i.e. the trunk and big branches, before you get into the leaves/details or there is nothing for them to hang on to,” he is quoted as saying.
• Detached yet intensely focused: Fives can come across as aloof or distant due to their tendency to withdraw into their thoughts. When they are interested in something, they become incredibly absorbed and focused, often losing track of time and surroundings. This can come across as intense or obsessive to others.
• Minimalist lifestyle: Fives often see material possessions as unnecessary distractions and tend to live a simpler life. Despite his eye-watering wealth, Musk famously "lives in a rented US$50,000 “box home”, sold most of his luxury properties, and once told his former partner Grimes she couldn’t buy a new mattress when she discovered a hole in the one they were sleeping on," reports Style magazine.
• Playful: Both Fives and INTPs often have a playful, quirky and idiosyncratic side, as they use their imaginations to explore new ideas and theories. There's plenty of evidence of Musk having fun in the corporate world—Tesla cars are known for their hidden Easter eggs and SpaceX once launched the Falcon Heavy rocket with Musk's own Tesla Roadster on board, playing David Bowie's "Space Oddity" on a loop!

On the inside: Understanding the 5

• Emotionally reserved: Fives have a hard-to-crack inner world and prefer to maintain a strong sense of control over their feelings and actions. They aren’t quick to share their thoughts and feelings with just anyone, and may withdraw completely if they feel overwhelmed.
• Fear of being incompetent: Underneath their quietly confident exterior, Fives often have a deep-seated fear of being seen as useless, incompetent or ignorant. This may explain Musk's drive for constant self-improvement and his need to be at the forefront of innovation. "I think it's very important to have a feedback loop, where you're constantly thinking about what you've done and how you could be doing it better. I think that's the single best piece of advice: constantly think about how you could be doing things better and questioning yourself," he said in a casual interview.
• Independent and self-sufficient: Fives value their autonomy and prefer to rely on themselves rather than others. This can lead to a reluctance to ask for help, as they don't want to appear incompetent in front of others.

Typefinder: INTP, The Architect

I/Introverted:  Musk describes himself as an Introvert and has been open about the jitters he gets when speaking in front of crowds. As an Introvert, he is not as charismatic or as naturally entertaining as, say, an ENTP, but he seems to have learned ways to bring out his more confident, Extraverted side. Today, we suspect Musk would type more as an ambivert.

N/Intuition: Musk is bursting with big ideas—so big, they're interstellar—and he clearly sees well beyond the status quo. In all his entrepreneurial ventures, he chooses to inhabit the untried and untested. His ambitious goals, like colonizing Mars and developing a brain-computer interface, show that he is not afraid to take on the seemingly impossible and is determined to leave a legacy. "I'm interested in things that change the world or that affect the future and wondrous, new technology where you see it, and you're like, 'Wow, how did that even happen? How is that possible?'" he said, which is about as N as it gets.

T/Thinking: Listen to Musk speak, and it's clear that he favors logical analysis and rational decision-making, which aligns with the Thinking function of the INTP type. Sometimes, Musk can come across as self-absorbed, but this could be the result of his intense focus on understanding and solving problems. He is a first-principles thinker, breaking down complicated problems into basic elements and then reassembling them from the ground up. Classic INTP.

P/Perceiving: There's absolutely no doubt that Musk enjoys exploring myriad ideas at once. He has  shimmied between many diverse disciplines in his career, abandoning projects that lose their shine and picking up new ventures whenever an opportunity arises. He is quoted as saying that he “multi-tasks and avoids unnecessary meetings” and "I've actually not read any books on time management." What personality type would do that? On balance, we think it's a more ‘P’ than a 'J' approach; that's the kind of thinking we'd expect from an INTP.

With Maturity Comes Growth

In many ways, the Type Five INTP is the stereotypical Big Bang Theory nerd scientist—Albert Einstein, Isaac Newton and Richard Dawkins all have the same preferences.

But don't forget that, when moving in their direction of integration (growth), Type Fives become more self-confident and decisive, like healthy Type Eights. Now in middle age and with years of entrepreneurial excellence under his belt, Musk shows many signs of having matured into the Eight space.  He exudes courage, leadership and self-confidence, and can be a bit too direct and controlling at times. These point to Type Eight characteristics.

What's less talked about is Musk's desire to champion the underdog.  The main reason he bought Twitter was to right the injustice of censorship and protect people's right to free speech. He is vocal about his desire to save the world from climate change, famine, underpopulated planets and more.

This isn't a Type Five trait, since Fives tend to prioritize their own independence and autonomy over the needs of others. However, it is a clear indication of Type Eight behavior, as Eights are often motivated by a desire for justice and protection of those who are vulnerable. It seems that life has presented Musk with the opportunity to be the healthiest version of himself—how far he takes it is, of course, up to him.

The Verdict

Based on our analysis, we think that Elon Musk leans towards being an INTP and an Enneagram Five, though one with the bold ambition typical of a healthy Type Eight, his growth arrow. This combination of personality types has allowed him to think big, engineer solutions, push the boundaries of what is possible and then turn those ideas all into viable business solutions that transform industries—and maybe one day, will take the human race to Mars!