What is Elon Musk's IQ?
Nov 12, 2023
Elon Musk is one of the most visible entrepreneurs and innovators of the 21st century. As the founder or leader of companies like Tesla, SpaceX, Neuralink, and X (formerly Twitter), he has built a reputation for ambitious projects and unconventional thinking. Because of these accomplishments, the internet is filled with claims about his IQ, with numbers reaching 150, 155, 160, or even higher. So what is Elon Musk’s IQ?
The short answer is: Elon Musk's IQ is unknown, but it can be estimated. There is no credible public record of Musk taking a professionally administered IQ test, and he has not publicly disclosed an IQ score. Despite this, there is information that can be used to estimate his IQ.
Estimating Elon’s IQ
Unfortunately, most estimates of Musk’s IQ are based on his accomplishments. These estimates are not scientific. IQ cannot be accurately determined by looking at someone's career achievements. The view that his impressive accomplishments with Tesla, SpaceX, and other companies must be driven by high IQ is not scientifically supported.
The best foundation for an IQ estimate for Elon Musk comes from his biography, written by Walter Isaacson. In it, Isaacson states (on p. 45) that Musk scored 670 on the verbal portion of the SAT and 730 on the math portion, for a total score of 1400. (Note that Musk took the SAT before it was recalibrated, and these scores would be higher if measured on today’s SAT scale.) Although the SAT’s creators do not call it an intelligence test, the test does function as an excellent measure of general intelligence. Psychologists have developed equations that can convert total SAT scores or SAT math and verbal scores to IQs. Using his total SAT score as a foundation, Musk’s estimated IQ is 124. Using the math and verbal SAT scores as separate predictors, Musk’s IQ is estimated to be 122. These estimates mean that Musk has an IQ higher than 92.5% to 94.6% of the population.Â
Elon Musk is smart, but his IQ is far from 150. Ironically, there is the temptation to underestimate Musk’s intelligence. A different biographer, Seth Abramson, stated, “I would peg his IQ as between 100 and 110. There’s zero evidence in his biography of anything higher.” Clearly, Abramson is wrong, and his amateur estimate shows the dangers of trying to gauge someone’s IQ from afar.
An IQ in the low 120s may seem unusually low for someone with such high accomplishments, but it is not. Nobel Prize winners William Shockley, James Watson, and Richard Feynman all have IQs reported in the 120s in reputable sources. Apparently, having an IQ that is “only” in the top 10% of the population is not an impediment to achieving very high levels of success. The fact that these men were not identified as having extremely high IQs in childhood or adolescence does not reveal a flaw in the tests. Rare outcomes (such as earning a Nobel Prize, or building 6 “unicorn” startups from scratch) are, by definition, difficult to predict -- especially when the prediction is made decades earlier.
Does a high IQ guarantee success?
Musk, Watson, Feynman, and other highly accomplished people whose IQs are “only” in the 120s show that above-average intelligence does not guarantee success. While intelligence does predict many positive life outcomes, including higher income and more prestigious careers, it is not the only factor that matters. High IQ is a tailwind in life, but it does not guarantee success. Other things matter, too.
Specific cognitive abilities matter a great deal for life success. At age 17, Musk scored extremely high on a computer programming aptitude test. That specific ability is crucial for his success, but an aptitude for programming would have a limited capacity to contribute to an overall IQ score. Research on high-IQ individuals has shown that the mix of strengths and weaknesses in people’s specific cognitive abilities is a crucial factor in their professional accomplishments.
Another specific ability that Musk may excel at is spatial ability. It seems likely that someone involved in rocketry and car engines understands better than most people how objects can relate to one another in three-dimensional space. Notably, the SAT completely lacks any measure of spatial ability. If spatial ability is one of Musk’s strengths, then the IQs based on his SAT scores will be underestimates. This would not be surprising because the education system in most countries does not value spatial reasoning as much as traditional schoolhouse skills (like math and reading). This is why one leading intelligence research has called spatial ability a “sleeping giant.” There are likely many people with high spatial skills who languish undetected in school because no one bothers to give them a test of spatial ability.
It is not realistic to expect an IQ test to measure every possible aptitude and ability. However, the best IQ tests will provide subscores that measure important narrow abilities. The Reasoning and Intelligence Online Test (RIOT), for example, reports subscores for verbal reasoning, fluid reasoning, spatial ability, working memory, processing speed, and reaction time -- in addition to overall IQ. These subscores provide more useful information than a global IQ can provide alone.Â
Interests and life goals matter for life success, too. Musk seems to be very driven in accomplishing his business goals, and he seems to be extremely focused on his interests (which seem to be all technical). Some very bright people are not interested in working the long hours needed to reach the pinnacle of one’s field, or they may not have interests that lead to widespread acclaim and riches. They may instead be more interested in raising a family, serving their community, engaging in hobbies, or other careers that provide fewer public rewards. It is very rational for smart people to align their careers with their interests and talents -- even if these never lead to a Nobel Prize or starting a company like SpaceX.
Many people with high IQ scores live ordinary lives, while some people with more modest intelligence achieve extraordinary things through determination, creativity, social skills, and opportunity. Musk's success likely reflects a combination of intelligence, ambition, willingness to take enormous risks, access to resources, and the ability to attract talented people to work on his projects. IQ alone cannot account for building multiple billion-dollar companies.
The problems with celebrity IQ claims
Claims about the IQ scores of famous people are usually unreliable. In rare cases, a verified IQ can be found, or test scores that can be converted to IQs are available. But in most cases, the person never took an IQ test, or if they did, the results were never made public. When historical figures like Einstein are assigned an IQ retroactively, it is usually based on speculation, not data.
Unfortunately, this perpetuates the myth that extraordinary achievement requires genius-level intelligence, which can discourage people who are “merely above average” in intelligence from pursuing ambitious goals. It also oversimplifies human potential by reducing complex traits like creativity, leadership, and innovation to a single number.
What we do know about intelligence and achievement
Intelligence, as measured by IQ tests, is associated with better performance in cognitively demanding fields. People with higher IQ scores tend to perform better in school, learn new skills more quickly, and excel in jobs that require complex problem-solving.
However, intelligence is just one piece of the puzzle. In the workplace, other characteristics, such as conscientiousness, emotional regulation, specific cognitive abilities, and interpersonal skills, also predict success. In entrepreneurship, traits like risk tolerance, resilience in the face of failure, and the ability to inspire others may be just as important as raw cognitive ability. Musk's career demonstrates all of these qualities, regardless of his IQ.
To learn more about what IQ tests measure, watch:
Should you take an online IQ test to compare yourself to Elon Musk?
If you're curious about your own intelligence, you might be tempted to take one of the many IQ tests available online. However, most online IQ tests are created by amateurs or anonymous individuals who lack training in psychometrics (the science of psychological testing). These tests often provide inaccurate scores and cannot be trusted for any serious purpose.
Before taking any IQ test, verify that it was created by qualified professionals and meets established standards for psychological testing. Anonymous tests or those without clear documentation of their development process should be avoided, as they are often designed to inflate scores or extract money from unsuspecting test-takers.
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