\n\u201cI didn\u2019t set out to be at the top of technology companies. I\u2019m just geeky and shy and I like to code.\u201d <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
This is a famous quote from the introverted queen of tech herself, Marissa Mayer, former Yahoo CEO and the co-founder of her own company, Lumi Labs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mayer is a proud introvert who doesn\u2019t care for crowds or parties. She didn\u2019t let that stop her from becoming a wildly successful Silicon Valley leader– one of the top, in fact. Mayer has enjoyed a legendary career as Google\u2019s first female engineer, overseeing massive products such as Google Adwords. In 2012, she faced backlash and criticism when she became Yahoo\u2019s CEO. Despite constant criticism from journalists, and her peers, who hounded her on every executive decision she made, she continued to thrive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Her secret? She coached herself on how to come out of her shell when needed. When the time came when she needed to stop retreating into her space, she had a mantra. If she\u2019s at a party, for example, if she wants to leave during the first 15 minutes, even if the party is at her home, she tells herself, <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\u201cYou can\u2019t leave until time X. If you\u2019re still having a terrible time at time X, you can leave.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
More often than not, she ends up overcoming her social awkwardness and has fun. If not, well, she\u2019s still a highly successful CEO.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Steve Wozniak<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Steve Wozniak is Steve Jobs\u2019s introverted counterpart. Wozniak had a powerful idea in his hands, but he needed a partner to bring it to life. He partnered with the extrovert Steve Jobs, and together, they founded Apple.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
His policy is that working alone can revolutionize the tech world. He\u2019s famously quoted saying, <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\u201cI don\u2019t believe anything really revolutionary has ever been invented by committee\u2026 I\u2019m going to give you some advice that might be hard to take. That advice is: Work alone\u2026 Not on a committee. Not on a team.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
Elon Musk<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Can any introvert success story be more motivating than the world\u2019s current richest man? You probably already know him as the real-life version of Tony Stark. Elon Musk is the revolutionary founder and CEO of SpaceX, the CEO of Tesla, and the founder and board member of several other companies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Unlike Tony Stark, Musk is the embodiment of a powerful, yet soft-spoken, CEO. He has admitted that he prefers to stay in his shell, but occasionally comes out for business. He says, <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\u201cI\u2019m basically like an introverted engineer, so, it took a lot of practice and effort to be able to go up on stage and not just stammer basically\u2026As the CEO, you kind of have to.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s no wonder he had to work on his people skills. There is not a day that goes by without him on the news, doing interviews, and working with people to move his products along.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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