A recent study has turned the spotlight on the intellectual capacities of two tech titans: Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk.
While the long-rumoured physical showdown between Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Tesla/X boss Elon Musk may never come to pass — despite Elon’s doppelganger training hard and Zuckerberg getting absolutely ripped in preparation — a battle of the wits between the two seems to have been decidedly settled thanks to a new speech analysis study.
As reported by PC Mag, Preply’s study meticulously analysed the public speaking performance of dozens of American CEOs. Their findings drew on transcripts of YouTube videos, spanning between 60 to 180 minutes in length. Before we dive into the revealing and somewhat humiliating results, let’s take a closer look at their methodology…
WATCH: Zuckerberg brawling with Lex Friedman earlier this year…
How CEOs Were Ranked
Five factors were considered when evaluating the tech luminaries:
- Vocabulary Breadth: The diversity of words used by the CEOs in their speeches was a critical factor. A rich vocabulary can signify a depth of knowledge and the ability to convey complex ideas effectively.
- Vocabulary Sophistication: This aspect delved into the complexity of the words chosen by the CEOs. A penchant for using sophisticated vocabulary could indicate a higher level of linguistic and intellectual acumen.
- Textual Readability: The intricacy of sentence structures and the depth of ideas presented in their speeches were examined. A speech that effectively conveys intricate ideas can be a hallmark of intellectual capability.
- Critical Thinking: Preply assessed the quality of argument formation, its deconstruction, and the thoroughness of analysis. Critical thinking is a fundamental component of intellectual prowess.
- Contextual Relevance: The ability to link dialogue with broader contexts and integrate insights from diverse fields was another dimension explored. Contextual relevance often showcases a speaker’s depth of understanding.
The Rankings
The full list of CEO rankings are as follows:
Elon Musk received a score of 64.33 out of a possible 100 points. While this places him in a respectable overall position, it also ranks him below some of his key peers in the industry, including longtime rival Zuckerberg.
Leading the pack is Demis Hassabis — the apparently very sharp mind behind DeepMind — with an impressive score of 87.33. Jeff Bezos, the former CEO of Amazon, follows closely with a score of 71.
Jensen Huang of Nvidia (70.33), Reed Hastings of Netflix (70), and Mark Zuckerberg of Meta (69.67) also outperformed Musk in this analysis.
Real Measures Of Intelligence
It’s important to note that this study, while insightful, does not constitute a comprehensive measure of intelligence. Demis Hassabis, for instance, was a child prodigy in chess and was asked to take a gap year before enrolling at the University of Cambridge due to applying at such a young age…
He also contributed to scientific journals and holds degrees in computer science and cognitive neuroscience. In short, even if he spoke in tongues, he’d still rank incredibly highly for overall intelligence.
As for the longstanding showdown between Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk, it seems they’ve resorted to trading diligently-ranked verbal jabs on their respective platforms rather than battling it out in the cage. Whether this ranking marks an end to their ongoing feud or the spark that will bring it back to life remains to be seen…