A Silicon Valley icon and philanthropist for the past three decades, Steve Wozniak helped shape the computing industry with his design of Apple’s first line of products the Apple I and II and influenced the popular Macintosh. In 1976, Wozniak and Steve Jobs founded Apple Computer Inc. with Wozniak's Apple I personal computer. The following year, he introduced his Apple II personal computer, featuring a central processing unit, a keyboard, color graphics, and a floppy disk drive. The Apple II was integral in launching the personal computer industry.In 1981, he went back to UC Berkeley and finished his degree in electrical engineering/computer science. For his achievements at Apple Computer, Wozniak was awarded the National Medal of Technology by the President of the United States in 1985, the highest honor bestowed on America’s leading innovators.In 2000, he was inducted into the Inventors Hall of Fame and was awarded the prestigious Heinz Award for Technology, The Economy and Employment for “single-handedly designing the first personal computer and for then redirecting his lifelong passion for mathematics and electronics toward lighting the fires of excitement for education in grade school students and their teachers.”After leaving Apple in 1985, Wozniak was involved in various business and philanthropic ventures, focusing primarily on computer capabilities in schools and stressing hands-on learning and encouraging creativity for students. Making significant investments of both his time and resources in education, he “adopted” the Los Gatos School District, providing students and teachers with hands-on teaching and donations of state-of-the-art technology equipment. He founded the Electronic Frontier Foundation, and was the founding sponsor of the Tech Museum, Silicon Valley Ballet and Children’s Discovery Museum of San Jose.Wozniak currently serves as Chief Scientist for Fusion-io and is a published author with the release of his New York Times Best Selling autobiography, iWoz: From Computer Geek to Cult Icon, in September 2006 by Norton Publishing. His television appearances include reality show “Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List” and season eight of ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars”.
Engaging, plausible and entertaining the ENTP personality type will be like a breath of fresh air, infusing people and situations with a whole array of new ideas and creative ways of doing things. However, they can become bored and withdraw their energies as they go off in search of the next thrill. Curious, child-like wonder characterises the ENTP, they are flexible, open-minded and love possibilities. They tend to see everything as a challenge, seeing opportunities even in the most difficult of circumstances. ENTPs can at times display impatience with those whom they consider wrong, and may show little restraint in demonstrating this.
The ENTP is constantly on the lookout for opportunities and possibilities, which will feed their strong desire for something new. An ENTP will bring energy, dynamism and creativity to people and projects. They are of the moment and are great at creating momentum for anything new but may become bored after the initial fascination has passed. ENTPs love telling conceptual stories. They will often go off at tangents, weaving apparently contrary pieces of information into a conceptual whole, bringing others in and teaching them in the process. Curious, communicative and challenging, the ENTP loves intellectual debate, is spontaneous, (at times shockingly so), and assertive. They sometimes confuse, even hurt, those who don't understand or accept the concept of debate or argument simply as a ‘sport.’ ENTPs are as innovative and ingenious at problem-solving and verbal gymnastics, as they are bored with the routine and the detail.
They are also far better at the 'front end' of projects and may slide out when it becomes tedious. The ENTP is expedient, and can disregard rules, regulations and even obligations and follow their own instincts and urges. The upside of this is the ability to bring whole new perspectives and ways of looking at things. The downside is that they may leave loose ends, and lack follow-through. The ENTP's independent streak make them excellent at challenging the status quo, self-deception and self-delusion, but this challenging can, at times, become critical or negative if the ENTP becomes bored or feels stultified or threatened.
They have a kaleidoscope type vision, seeing all the disparate parts and then, in one twist, pulling them all together into something often quite wonderful. These characteristics also mean the ENTP can be intellectually promiscuous, enjoying one new experience after another, one new idea after another and constantly looking for bigger and better things. ENTPs are excitable and this excitement is very often contagious. They have ‘the gift of the gab,’ and are at ease in social situations, winning people over and can adapt to any level and any conversation - if it interests them. They are generally confident and possess the ability to look far beyond the present, the mundane, the facts and the horizon. However, their dislike of detail, practicalities and closure, often means that their dreams, aspirations and ideas may come to nothing as they can lack the propensity for follow through and the attention to detail required to ‘complete.’ This does of course make the ENTP very flexible and they have the ability to change tack in a nano-second much to the consternation of those following, who ask ‘but I thought we were going in that direction?’ Radical experimenters, rules are there to be (gently but firmly) bent; they like to get their own way and will happily rationalise, intellectualise and build a sophisticated argument to prove they were right. Of course, next week they may change their minds because ‘right’ for the ENTP is about what is right for ‘now.’ ENTPs are nothing if not unique, having an enquiring mind, real sense of adventure and excitement for new ideas and opportunities. They thrive on a new challenge, the more impossible it seems, the more thrilling it is! But smaller, less significant issues can really get to them and see them becoming scratchy and impatient, and this will communicate itself to anyone in the vicinity
Choose another celebrity type to compare side by side the different approaches work, attitudes to conflict and the way they engage with others.
