Which Personality Type Is Steve Jobs?

There was a question by Nas in the TopTypes ENTJ section about whether Steve Jobs is really an ENTJ.

I had originally listed Steve Jobs as an ENTJ after seeing that TypeLogic and PersonalityCafe listed him as an ENTJ (though neither explained why).

To determine personality types of famous people, I typically surf the major Myers Briggs personality type sites and see where the most agreement is, and then combine that with my own MBTI knowledge (I’m self-taught on personality types but by no means an expert).

I did speak with Steve Jobs a couple of times (please see About Rob Kelly for my background) and I’ll give my amateur analysis of his personality type.

I now believe ENTJ may be wrong, or at least it’s only part of the story.

In short, I think an argument can be made that Steve Jobs was either an

• INTP “The Inventor”)
• INTJ (“The Mastermind”)
• ENTP (“The Innovator”)
• ENTJ (“The Leader”)

Let me go through my thinking on each part:

Introvert (I) versus Extrovert (E)

I think Steve is possibly right on the border of introvert versus extrovert. While he of course is famous for his presentations/speeches, any MBTI expert knows that an introvert can be great on stage but then off-stage could get most their energy from within themselves (the definition of an introvert).

My view here is that Steve was happiest with a small group of people and even just one or two people (remember all the hikes he took with confidantes). So I’m going to call him an I/E (right in the middle).

Sensing (S) versus Intuitive (N)

I think most folks agree Steve Jobs was highly abstract/conceptual; those are qualities of a clear Intuitive (N).

While some could argue that he was detail-oriented (i.e. in his attention to details on his products) and might have been a Sensor (S), that is clearly outweighed by his his ability to think big-picture (“1,000 songs in your pocket,” “the Apple computer being a “bicycle for the mind,” etc).

Thinker (T) versus Feeler (F)

The “jerk” reputation Steve Jobs got in my readings of him stemmed from his highly logical nature with little regard to how those around him felt.

He clearly prioritized how he believed something should be done versus how anyone he worked with felt about it.

That’s s a clear sign of him being a thinker versus feeler — feelers rarely get the “jerk” reputation (us Thinkers typically do!).

Perceiver (P) versus Judger (J)

This is tougher. Jobs was known to like options (classic Perceiver) yet he was able to get stuff done (obviously).

I’m going to call him a split on this one and if I had to give the edge, I would say he was slightly more Perceiver than Judger because of his idealistic nature of having things just perfect. I think that he was so evolved, though, that he sharpened his Judger skills immensely in later years (likely by surrounding himself with numerous strong Judgers).

So, I realize that I am now backing off of my original ENTJ and instead breaking down Steve Jobs’s Myers Briggs type as:

• I/E
• N
• T
• P/J.

In other words, he’s an INTP, INTJ, ENTP or ENTJ.

Not a perfect answer, I know, but that’s my best guess.

Other notes about Steve Jobs/MBTI stuff:

• TypeCentral argues that he’s an ENTP (the classic inventor).
• There’s a good debate about whether Steve Jobs was an ENTJ or I/ENTP on Quora.

What do you think Steve Jobs’s personality type is?