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Bill Gates: INTP

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PersonalityJunkie pins Gates as an INTP, though most sites put him at INTJ. Which is what I did unconsciously, anybody who built Microsoft has to be an INTJ, right? After some study I'm convinced he is an INTP.

If you haven't seen it watch this, it's instructive not just to see Bill and Steve but the conversation is worth hearing for it's own sake.

D5 Conference

What is instructive is to compare Steve against Bill. Gates is either an INTJ, INTP, ESTP or even possibly ISTP, however let's do a reading

  • Gates slouches and is quite relaxed. Jobs is upright and uptight. You can compare to pictures of Gates when he was younger and he hasn't changed much, he's always had a "Ne" style INTP demeanor which is pleasant, relaxed and goofy (+1). Steves demeanor is indicative of an IJ. He keeps to himself tightly and you can see the aversion to displays of energy (low extroversion). From body language alone, assuming Jobs is an NT (which I think is likely for other reasons) I'd say Jobs was an INTJ.
  • You can see that when Gates is thinking of what to say, he looks off into the distance, up and to the right most often (10:18 for one of many examples). Steve looks directly ahead with a laser like view. Looking off in the distance like this is an example of Ne as PL found (+1)
  • Gates describes his brain as "like a computer, like software" later in the program. He's a software engineer through and through, if you read his bio you see somebody who has been obsessed with computers his entire life. (+1)
  • He used to be quite deviant (many examples +1)
  • He said he delayed getting married basically because he was having too much fun with his software work (+1)
  • His summer reading list includes a book on shipping containers because he wanted to fill out his knowledge of the Panama Canal and the wold wide container business (interested in how odd systems work) (+1)

Enough for now.
 

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What about ENTJ? I believe he could be either that or really an INTP. ENTJs in a lot of ways are more similar to INTPs then INTJs. Its kinda like INTJs and ENTPs. I think it might have to do with same functions just inversed.

I see Fi a lot in Steve jobs. I think he could of been an ESFP. Remeber he was more of a marketer then anything else, an ESFP quality.
 

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What about ENTJ? I believe he could be either that or really an INTP. ENTJs in a lot of ways are more similar to INTPs then INTJs. Its kinda like INTJs and ENTPs. I think it might have to do with same functions just inversed.

Good thought. However compare the two software leaders Ray Kurzweil (ENTJ) and Bill Gates. Kurzweil was a driver and extremely accomplished from when he was a child. Even with all his accomplishments in his later years (recently) he goes on about himself, pumping up his image (keeps mentioning what a pioneer he was) even though he's gotten plenty of fame and fortune. ESTJ's and ENTJ's suffer from an over-concern for personal power.

Gates on the other hand is much less the visionary leader, he appears to be much more the problem solver. I see somebody who never got their head out of the code, and by all accounts that was the case. Why did he leave Microsoft? An ENTJ would have stayed and led the company to greater heights. Ballmer (probably ESTJ?) is still there. Those power types can't give up.

Another part is demeanor, with Gates I believe we see an extroverted perceiver (the slouching, mussy hair, goofy mien) and introverted judger (Ti-Ne), whereas with Kurzweil we see an external judger introverted perceiver.

I see Fi a lot in Steve jobs. I think he could of been an ESFP. Remeber he was more of a marketer then anything else, an ESFP quality.

Yes I see that too. Or maybe it's repressed emotions because he was such as a**hole, as he says himself. At any rate that's just a gut feeling, I haven't analyzed him yet.
 
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I'm not into this body language typing business...but yes, I agree that Bill Gates is INTP. He didn't think in terms of a sequence of steps, Te style, he thought with principles and understandings of models of information that worked as it flowed (Ti).
 

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I didn't watch the video yet but I thought jobs was often typed as ISTP...........
 

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http://www.celebritytypes.com/blog/2013/01/bill-gates-entj-or-intp/ pegs him as ENTJ. Regarding his leaving Microsoft, the article points out that Gates left Microsoft to focus on the Gates Foundation, which is run like a business.

Celebrity types is the worst site in the world at typing. I know some of their members haunt this board, but I see so many mistakes there and they are obstinate about it. I've confidently typed maybe five celebrities where they'll go off on hundreds.

At any rate the foundation was being run by his father, but it's certainly not the type of organization where an ENTJ or ESTJ would be as happy - there's no teams or people to boss. All you are is an investor, deciding on which "pitches" to fund. The investment side is handled by a dedicated group.

Regardless ENTJ's are driven and dedicated where in his biographies you see hints of a slacker littered all of his life until Microsoft.
 

levity

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Thanks for the response, I've just started learning about typing and the way the different sites all contradict each other can be pretty confusing.
 

JimJambones

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Most of the evidence Celebrity Type presents are in the form of quotes that the celebrity had said or someone else had said about them. These quotes hardly seem indicative of any specific type, for any of these quotes could probably be contradicted by other phrases uttered by the same person. I do agree that Gates is probably an intp.
 

Foxman49

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Celebrity types said Susan Cain is an extrovert. :facepalm:I really question their typing methodology. However, their articles about typing theory are pretty interesting.
 

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Celebrity types said Susan Cain is an extrovert. :facepalm:I really question their typing methodology. However, their articles about typing theory are pretty interesting.

LOL. Literally, I'm laughing my ass off.

I got in a discussion with them about somebody, Ben Stein I think, who they are convinced is an INTP. It was obvious they had no idea what they are talking about. It seems that they make these decisions by committee from what was said. :rip:
 

Cherry Cola

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Eh, I would hardly call them bad typers, their lists measure up better than others and they have reasoning behind their typing. But they've obviously bitten off more than they can chew with the amount of people they've typed leaving them with some questionable results. Nonetheless if you read their articles it's obvious that they've got a sound methodology, know their Jung and are decently well read in the humanities. It seems a little inconsequent to call them bad based on some mistypings, when their articles are great. Pod Lair must've had at least 78% of their typings wrong.

But how the fuck they got Susan Cain into an extrovert beats me. They do better with historical figures, I like their take on Socrates.
 

scorpiomover

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Good thought. However compare the two software leaders Ray Kurzweil (ENTJ) and Bill Gates. Kurzweil was a driver and extremely accomplished from when he was a child. Even with all his accomplishments in his later years (recently) he goes on about himself, pumping up his image (keeps mentioning what a pioneer he was) even though he's gotten plenty of fame and fortune. ESTJ's and ENTJ's suffer from an over-concern for personal power.
Well, ENTJs aren't really all that interested in pumping up their image all that much. They get things done, by sheer bullheadedness, and by arguing for practical common sense that just so happens to support their objectives.

I looked up Kurzweil's bio when you started a thread on him. He had made a lot of companies with the aim to produce a singular type of device, then sold the company on, again and again. As you pointed out, an ENTJ would stay and bring the company to higher and higher heights.

Kurzweil has a very odd habit. All of his gadgets have been different. But they all have had various uses that are all directed towards helping the blind to see. Clearly, there is some kind of singlular and introverted focus to his solutions. Plus, he seems to be very obsessed with his singularity theory. I believe that Kurzweil fits INTJ, or possibly INFJ, at a pinch.

Gates on the other hand is much less the visionary leader, he appears to be much more the problem solver. I see somebody who never got their head out of the code, and by all accounts that was the case.
By all accounts, he kept his head firmly on the business end. He started his own business company in his teens, unlike pretty much almost every other computer nerd I've ever met, even the ones who actually did set up their own business. He was a Congressional Page. He managed to get himself assigned to writing the computer program to allocate students to classes in his school, and programmed them to ensure he'd be in classes with mostly female students, when any INTP would program the computer to put him in the most advanced classes. While in university, he decided to drop out. But unlike almost every other drop-out, he did it to continue his business plans. What's even more amazing, was that he persuaded his parents to be on board with this. He's known to be ruthless in business meeting, always demanding why people aren't doing more to push the business ahead. He's got ENTJ pouring out of him.

Also, it is wise to note that Te-doms are also not visionary leaders. They are objective problem solvers.

One of the lesser-known abilities of the ENTJ, is that when it suits their objectives, they'll happily make themselves seem stupid, if it will further their aims. ENTJs are excellent actors, when they have a reason to pretend to be something.

The public image of what the public are told about Gates, is of a solid INTP. Microsoft has had a lot of bad press due to the numerous lawsuits and monopoly cases brought against them by the US Department of Justice. Having a public image that the head of the company appeared to be a geeky unambitious harmless nerd, definitely had a huge psychological effect to not see Microsoft like other domineering corporations.

AFAIK, though, Paul Allen is rumoured to be an INTP.

Why did he leave Microsoft? An ENTJ would have stayed and led the company to greater heights. Ballmer (probably ESTJ?) is still there.
Well, IIRC, just around when he left, Microsoft was enmeshed in a major justice investigation that they could be a monopoly, which as you know, is not allowed according to American legislation. The upshot of it was that that Microsoft was split into 2 companies. However, what was not immediately obvious, is that Microsoft didn't split into 2 competing companies, like how happened with Ma Bell, but was split into 2 separate divisions, one the applications section, and the other, the major OS section. If you know about the other anti-trust cases, then you know one of the issues was that Microsoft had embedded code into their apps and their OS, so that their apps worked much better on Windows than other companies' apps. The separate divisions work together. So it's a technical non-monopoly, that actually functions as a monopoly. Bit difficult to keep up that illusion, though, when the architect of the monopoly is still in charge. Gates HAD to leave, to keep up the illusion, that the head of Microsoft who was behind the monopoly, was gone.

Those power types can't give up.
True. When major businessmen give up business, they often go into philanthropy instead. However, Gates has taken this to a whole new level. He's set up his own charity, and made it into an international organisation, called the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. It focusses on the things that Bill wants to promote, such as vaccines, that should be handled by WHO and other such United Nations health organisations. He's also got other extremely rich friends to donate as well. So he's still using his Te-Ni skills, but to promote his own Fi values. Mind you, as one approaches middle age, more and more becomes about one's inferior function.

Another part is demeanor, with Gates I believe we see an extroverted perceiver (the slouching, mussy hair, goofy mien) and introverted judger (Ti-Ne), whereas with Kurzweil we see an external judger introverted perceiver.
He is certainly wearing the clothes. But if you observe, his hair lacks the typical complete mess that is typical of someone who does not care about his appearance. His clothes ar clearly clean. His shirt positively shines. He even looks into the camera. But what gives it away, is that he just can't resist throwing in the completely over-confident business claim that he intends to ensure that Microsoft gets 50% of his business from Apple. He even describes himself as the "Chairman" of Microsoft. He's got the casual look, allright. But it's the casual look of the super-elite, that you see at the Henley Regatta, and such events. But then, his birth name is William H. Gates III, the offspring of a prominent lawyer and a prominent banker. He comes from money, and he dresses like the moneyed do, when they're chilling out. He only omits to say the origin of his dress sense. But it's an act, one that is borrowed from his youthful days growing up with computers in a school for the elite.

Note how he gives weird answers as to if the Mac will be the 3rd industry leader. He does NOT judge the Macintosh. He states objective standards to judge by (leads with objective judgements), and then says that the Macintosh is the only one that fits (supports with subjective perception).
 

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Celebrity types said Susan Cain is an extrovert. :facepalm:I really question their typing methodology. However, their articles about typing theory are pretty interesting.

She's an extrovert thinking she's an introvert

probably ENFJ
 

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Steve Wozniak is an INTP?

Just throwing it out there because he's one of my idols too. Actually more so when I think about how much of an ass Steve Jobs was.

Larry Ellison is just so ENTJ it's not even funny.

Bill Gates is a bit confusing. He acts really INTP but whatever he does is just Te. He's so humanitarian and is all about getting people around to do things.

That's why the product really lacks in quality.
 

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Steve Wozniak is an INTP?

Just throwing it out there because he's one of my idols too. Actually more so when I think about how much of an ass Steve Jobs was.

.

He for sure I can say is an INTP before Gates. He was the quiet kid in the class doing some crazy shit with computers, but was too shy to tell people about his works until Steve came along.

He was all about engineering before the business side, after he left apple he became a teacher(Fe).
 

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Sorry I stopped reading when I hit your logic wall.
Sorry? Logic wall?

Do you mean "sorry" because you thought that it's obviously wrong that any INTP would program the computer to put him in the most advanced classes, and "logic wall", because it seems like logic, but is really just a wall of assumptions?

Or do you mean "sorry" because once you read this, you realised that Gates could not be an INTP, and didn't need to read any further, and so the rest of my words went unread, and "logic wall", because the logic was as solid as a wall?

FYI, I read that Gates had a SAT score of 1590, and an IQ of 151. He's definitely smart. I just think that when it comes down to girls vs quantum physics, most of us would pick quantum physics, and then would try to impress girls in our non-school time, with our knowledge of quantum physics. Well, except for one INTP I came across on INTJf. He was a maths genius. Represented his country in mathletes at 10. Then he discovered girls, and decided that since the drop-outs got girls, he'd be a dropout. But I just can't see anyone being a dropout, and maintaining an SAT score of 1590.
 

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Sorry? Logic wall?

Do you mean "sorry" because you thought that it's obviously wrong that any INTP would program the computer to put him in the most advanced classes, and "logic wall", because it seems like logic, but is really just a wall of assumptions?

Or do you mean "sorry" because once you read this, you realised that Gates could not be an INTP, and didn't need to read any further, and so the rest of my words went unread, and "logic wall", because the logic was as solid as a wall?


The first one is mostly correct. I meant sorry for not reading any further.

I'm actually not partial towards typing Gates; it's not interesting me in the slightest. Generally I quite like your posts, but that doesn't stop me from identifying "logic walls" when I think I see them.

I'm not denying that a INTP might program himself into the most advanced classes, but to phrase it as an axiom/fundamental truth that any INTP would do so is to put up a wall, blocking the [at least my own] line of thought from proceeding any further until rectified.


Re: dropping out. It happens, even if you can't see it, it happens.
 

scorpiomover

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The first one is mostly correct. I meant sorry for not reading any further.

I'm actually not partial towards typing Gates; it's not interesting me in the slightest. Generally I quite like your posts, but that doesn't stop me from identifying "logic walls" when I think I see them.

I'm not denying that a INTP might program himself into the most advanced classes, but to phrase it as an axiom/fundamental truth that any INTP would do so is to put up a wall, blocking the [at least my own] line of thought from proceeding any further until rectified.

Re: dropping out. It happens, even if you can't see it, it happens.
Oh. Perhaps I was a little rhetorical here, primarily to see if anyone could point out any counter-reasons. I can see that it's possible for an INTP to choose to manipulate the system to get themselves into the classes they want to be in, and yes, I can see a lot of INTPs dropping out.

But I would have thought that someone who has done so many things that are clearly focussed on achieving very specific and rather immediate practical results, and especially who has made so many business-oriented decisions, and so few decisions that have a focus on a pure interest in learning, would be more likely to be a Te-dom.
 
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I agree with INTP for Gates, but... Jobs (INTJ? :confused: I know you haven't done the full blown analysis yet, but..) is awful animated and can barely hold still throughout the entire ordeal. I don't think he's doing it for kinesthetics (Se, inferior or otherwise), but because he's... not aware of his own body. They both seem to look around equally as often, but through different means (eyeballs vs head turning).

Look at one of the most clear cut examples of an ENTJ I can think of:
Equal amount of head movement as Jobs, BUT all gesticulation is controlled, rehearsed, and robotic.

And a generally accepted INTJ:
Focal death stare, little eye movement, more facial expression, more robotic gesticulation, yet... no happy feet.

(I'm prepared to split the Jobs derail off if necessary).
 

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Gates's hyperaggressive management style and high expectations of his employees , or this so called Te seem to stem from his fear of failure and anxiety. After all , the pace of technology is changing very fast, and the technological landscape is shifting rapidly, and if your business can't adapt to these changes , your product will become obsolete very fast and new competitors will destroy you and dominate the market. I am an INTP and if I were gates, I would probably have the same management style as he is, after aIl I am burning loads of money everyday paying my workers and engineers, and there is high degree of uncertainty whether the products created by those workers can make a profit or not.and compensate for the loss There is a very likely hood that the company will run out of cash if the product is not successful enough. Every startup was in a razorsharp position given the intense competition in that era. Ti in its most stressful form becomes Te. What I said was especially true in the starting stages of the company before it reaches maturity.

quote from gates "In this business, by the time you realize you're in trouble, it's too late to save yourself. Unless you're running scared all the time, you're gone."
 

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Its more logical to argue that gates is an INTJ if he is not an INTP. After all he said his aspiration was to become a theortical mathematician if the computer revolution opportunity has not happened.
 

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Its more logical to argue that gates is an INTJ if he is not an INTP. After all he said his aspiration was to become a theortical mathematician if the computer revolution opportunity has not happened.

Ah, contingency plans. The INTPs only weakness.
 

Hadoblado

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Ah, contingency plans. The INTPs only weakness.

I thought contingency plans were part of what we did. Well... If you count the options we didn't end up taking as contingency plans.

Not enjoying doing homework -> go pick a fight on forum

I fucking love contingency plans.
 

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http://www.celebritytypes.com/blog/2013/01/bill-gates-entj-or-intp/ pegs him as ENTJ. Regarding his leaving Microsoft, the article points out that Gates left Microsoft to focus on the Gates Foundation, which is run like a business.

Do you read the Gates notes website?

Its all about developing solutions and technology to solve poverty. Where is the bussiness side? Gates believe in effective philantropy, which means rather than giving money away freely, he would rather use the money develop an effecitive good, product, or technology that can solve poverty problems.Such as medical technology , sanitation, etc. (read Gates proposal about inventing a better toilet).
 

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I thought contingency plans were part of what we did. Well... If you count the options we didn't end up taking as contingency plans.

Not enjoying doing homework -> go pick a fight on forum

I fucking love contingency plans.


Your contingency plan is ... I'll adapt to the situation when it hits me in the face.


go pick a fight on forum

with an easy target I might add...
 

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I'd like to submit this as evidence against:

PLAYBOY: Ever take LSD?
GATES: My errant youth ended a long time ago.
PLAYBOY: What does that mean?
GATES: That means there were things I did under the age of 25 that I ended up not doing subsequently.
PLAYBOY: One LSD story involved you staring at a table and thinking the corner was going to plunge into your eye.
GATES: [Smiles]
PLAYBOY: Ah, a glimmer of recognition.
GATES: That was on the other side of that boundary. The young mind can deal with certain kinds of gooping around that I don't think at this age I could. I don't think you're as capable of handling lack of sleep or whatever challenges you throw at your body as you get older. However, I never missed a day of work.
 

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I'm don't think him liking to work says anything. Neither did Einstein. If you're in control of what you are doing and at the top of it why would it be a burden, even for an INTP?

Some good points have been made here against him being INTP, but I'm not convinced yet. Further analysis involving the functions would be worthwhile.
 

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Further analysis involving the functions would be worthwhile.

I disagree. I would argue that this approach leads to a higher probability of a mis-type, and a gestalt approach is necessary for the most complete picture.
 

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I disagree. I would argue that this approach leads to a higher probability of a mis-type, and a gestalt approach is necessary for the most complete picture.

Interesting. I fully agree that a complete and holistic view of a person is important as the starting point, but I've found that when unclear further analyzing the functions is the best way to close it off. Drenth also takes this approach, look at his analysis of Jung for example.

Determining the dominant and inferior is usually sufficient.
 

scorpiomover

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I'm don't think him liking to work says anything. Neither did Einstein. If you're in control of what you are doing and at the top of it why would it be a burden, even for an INTP?
If I like what I'm doing, then I'll do it when I'm out-of-hours, and a LOT. But I'll still blow off days when it makes sense to, because I'm a P, not a J, and sometimes, my Ti & Ne want me to go wander and explore some avenue for a new idea. In addition, if someone is one of the top guys in their field, then they get a LOT of leeway, because getting someone else of their calibre would be freakishly hard. They can take off whole weeks without their bosses bat an eyelid. Only way I could see an INTP who was top of his field AND loved his work, to never blow days off work, would be if he honestly believed it was incredibly immoral to blow off work without at least informing everyone at least a few days in advance.

Some good points have been made here against him being INTP, but I'm not convinced yet. Further analysis involving the functions would be worthwhile.
Ti & Ne are timeless, and don't like to be tied to routines and schedules unless they have to?
 

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If I like what I'm doing, then I'll do it when I'm out-of-hours, and a LOT. But I'll still blow off days when it makes sense to, because I'm a P, not a J, and sometimes, my Ti & Ne want me to go wander and explore some avenue for a new idea. In addition, if someone is one of the top guys in their field, then they get a LOT of leeway, because getting someone else of their calibre would be freakishly hard. They can take off whole weeks without their bosses bat an eyelid. Only way I could see an INTP who was top of his field AND loved his work, to never blow days off work, would be if he honestly believed it was incredibly immoral to blow off work without at least informing everyone at least a few days in advance.

Ti & Ne are timeless, and don't like to be tied to routines and schedules unless they have to?


When going to work is as much fun as playing civ 5, when you are making a millions a day, I doubt you quit doing it and take a day off.
 

sushi

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Lets list the any evidence that supports Bill Gates is not an INTP . Any indication found in him that is not the chrarcterisitc of an INTP. We should start with a counter-assumption and see how far it goes.
 

scorpiomover

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When going to work is as much fun as playing civ 5, when you are making a millions a day, I doubt you quit doing it and take a day off.
It's not. Not the way Microsoft do it. Anyway, Gates takes bored meetings (yes, I know the spelling is "board". It's intentional.). When he gave up being the honcho, he decided to go around the world being a philanthropist. You tell me, if INTPs wouldd rather spend the rest of your life as a businessman who keeps demanding "more", and then going around playing rich benefactor, than figure out some new way to do coding or solve the mysteries of the universe.

Lets list the any evidence that supports Bill Gates is not an INTP . Any indication found in him that is not the chrarcterisitc of an INTP. We should start with a counter-assumption and see how far it goes.
One of the things I remember was that when I and a friend both left university, we both went into IT. He told me that Microsoft had a policy of sacking the 10% of coders who wrote the least code. In coding, the shorter your code, the better it is, the less prone to errors it is, the more elegant the code, and the quicker it runs. Pretty much about as anti-INTP as you can get.
 

scorpiomover

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Lets list the any evidence that supports Bill Gates is not an INTP . Any indication found in him that is not the chrarcterisitc of an INTP. We should start with a counter-assumption and see how far it goes.
How about, loves coding and studying science, way more than board meetings, running a multi-national, and running around Africa handing out vaccines all day long?
 

Reluctantly

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The best arguments I've heard put Bill as either ENTJ or INTP and Steve as ENFJ or ENTP.

Steve's quite a bit more extroverted, in any case.
 
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...running around Africa handing out vaccines all day long...

If anyone is still around in a thousand years to write the history books such acts are going to go down in the history books as the most self-defeating lunacy in the history of mankind. If anyone capable of writing anything is still around...:kodama1:

The "don't feed the bears" signs are there for good reason. His lot is the sort who is cheerleaded on by hordes of well-intentioned yet megalomaniacal do gooders as he lays the freshly butchered steak out the front door of the cabin and proceeds to remove the hinges.

Bill Gates is an absolute moron at best. At worst, he is an evil sidewinder intent on genociding humanity and replacing it with more zombies.
 

sushi

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your arguement is weak, scorpiomover. Bill Gates may not be an INTP, but he is certainly no extrovert.
 

pernoctator

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Gates on the other hand is much less the visionary leader, he appears to be much more the problem solver. I see somebody who never got their head out of the code, and by all accounts that was the case. Why did he leave Microsoft? An ENTJ would have stayed and led the company to greater heights.

I generally agree with scorpiomover that Gates is more of a concrete strategist / businessman than a tinkerer / coder. The public perception of him is the quintessential nerd, and I think to a certain extent he tries to go along with it and present himself that way as some sort of PR, but it's not really what he's about. I don't see someone who never got their head out of the code. He cares more about the application and results of it than the process. I don't think he has had much direct involvement in it since the early days, and even then, there was this letter. There's the hobbyists, playing with abstract systems, and then there's Gates, visualizing the future of the market, trying to quantify effort, and demanding royalties.


Ballmer (probably ESTJ?) is still there. Those power types can't give up.

Funny thing, Ballmer announced his retirement about 2 weeks after this was posted.
 

Analyzer

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I generally agree with scorpiomover that Gates is more of a concrete strategist / businessman than a tinkerer / coder. The public perception of him is the quintessential nerd, and I think to a certain extent he tries to go along with it and present himself that way as some sort of PR, but it's not really what he's about. I don't see someone who never got their head out of the code. He cares more about the application and results of it than the process. I don't think he has had much direct involvement in it since the early days, and even then, there was this letter. There's the hobbyists, playing with abstract systems, and then there's Gates, visualizing the future of the market, trying to quantify effort, and demanding royalties.
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Good point. Maybe he is an INTJ that tries to act as INTP in public eye. INTJs are seen as "villains" a lot of tmes so that does make sense.

Also if you compare Gates to a quintessential INTP like Einstein or Darwin you can see a clear difference. Those figures are a lot more engaged in the pursuit of knowledge and are not necessarily strategic people.
 

sushi

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cash flow , analysis the competiton, analysis the market, analysis economic and technological trend, product development and engineering. The ABCs of any business. To stay ahead when you run a business, any one will have to adapt some J traits because your business will sink when you can't meet the customer's demands and deadlines.

These are not ENTJ specific skills. I am just pointing out gates is very unlikely to be an entj , regardless he is an INTP or not.
 

Jennywocky

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I generally agree with scorpiomover that Gates is more of a concrete strategist / businessman than a tinkerer / coder. The public perception of him is the quintessential nerd, and I think to a certain extent he tries to go along with it and present himself that way as some sort of PR, but it's not really what he's about. I don't see someone who never got their head out of the code. He cares more about the application and results of it than the process. I don't think he has had much direct involvement in it since the early days, and even then, there was this letter. There's the hobbyists, playing with abstract systems, and then there's Gates, visualizing the future of the market, trying to quantify effort, and demanding royalties.

That's how he started in the business. This assessment is very general but he set up a contract, bought another product, tweaked it, and delivered it while retaining the rights -- that's where he was savvy. And this approach from what I can tell was very common for Microsoft, many of their early products were just bought from elsewhere and cobbled into Windows. (Which is why there were a lot of problems for years; the integration wasn't seamless.)

I would say he focused far more on business more than programming, in terms of what he did himself.

I didn't get to read the whole thread to catch up; I assume this was probably mentioned by someone else.

Funny thing, Ballmer announced his retirement about 2 weeks after this was posted.

I thought that was pretty ironic. :D
 
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