The Trait Jobs, Musk, And Gates Share That's Helped Their Success

Steve Jobs. Elon Musk. Bill Gates. What do they all have in common? As well as making groundbreaking waves in the tech industry in their own ways, they’re also some of the most successful people the planet has ever seen. While Steve Jobs never made it to billionaire status like the other two, they’re also some of the wealthiest names that stick in many people’s minds.

Plenty want to recreate the success for themselves, while others want to know what it is about the trio and their lives that got them to where they are today. Whatever the case, the trait Jobs, Musk, and Gates share that’s helped their success could be all we need to get started.

Being unemotional could be the key trait Jobs, Musk, and Gates share

Walter Isaacson is a historian and author who has worked on Steve Jobs’ biography while currently writing one for Elon Musk. Being so close to Jobs, Musk, and Gates means that Walter has a thought or two about what’s made them so successful - and he thinks it’s being unemotional. In fact, Walter says that the trio has learned how not to have emotional attachments to their employees and won’t compromise when it comes to making their visions come true. He told ‘Squawk Box’ that the three aren’t as “emotionally, empathetically engaged” as they’re “not looking for affection” from the person opposite them; “They’re looking to get a rocket to Mars.” 

Elon Musk has been described as a micromanager

Plenty of people have wondered what it’s like to work for Elon Musk, and it seems you might always need to have one foot in and one out of the door. That’s because the billionaire - and richest man on the planet - is reportedly known to be a micromanager. Workers have said Musk will often share when he’s displeased at someone falling short of his standards and is known to be harsh. Apparently, Musk also sets ambitious deadlines and isn’t the easiest to work for. Still, many have stated the billionaire is also funny and inspiring at times.

Steve Jobs was reportedly extremely blunt

Steve Jobs tragically lost his life in October 2011. However, people still question what it was like to work for the Apple co-founder and what he was like as a boss. According to many, Jobs was an extremely blunt person. That was apparently worse if he didn’t like something. Guy Kawasaki, a former executive at Apple, admitted that Jobs would never waste his time with “social niceties” while at the office and would instead “demand excellence” from all of his employees. According to Guy, if you didn’t prove yourself every day, Jobs would make sure you were out. 

Bill Gates admits he has always had high expectations

Although he hasn’t written a biography for Bill Gates, Walter Isaacson says that the billionaire shares the unemotional trait with Musk and Jobs. It seems Gates agrees, as he admitted during the ‘Armchair Expert’ podcast that he has always been known for a competitive fire that quickly translated to the office. Apparently, this means he has high expectations for his employees, as well as himself.

Having an emotional attachment to employees could hold Musk back

Working so closely with Elon Musk in recent years means that Walter Isaacson has had more insight into the billionaire’s life than most of us could ever imagine. Walter says something else Musk has perfected is being able to filter out distractions, such as legal worries that came with almost buying Twitter. However, being emotionally attached to his employees will never hold him back. That’s because the billionaire allegedly knows that feeling bad for people who mess up something major for one of his businesses will slow everything down and could cost money in the long run. Cutting ties with them and hiring new faces means Musk can continue building his dreams instead.

The trait Jobs, Musk, and Gates share that’s helped their success might seem heartless to some on the outside, but who said that becoming the best means you have to be nice? While it could be something that’s tough to perfect for others, it certainly seems as though the trio has learned how to make it work for their multi-billion dollar businesses.