I agree OP.
I feel like it's a general problem that "intelligence" - whatever it means, computational ability, size of working memory, some particular kind of insight - correlates with a desire to engage in some kind of process. And it's the process that is enjoyable to the intellect, not its end - Tao enjoys the process of doing mathematics, not finding out the answer to a math problem, not receiving the accolades and awards. Not that these things DON'T help, but ultimately Tao does what he does because this is what is meant by being "internally motivated." But at Tao's level, "internally motivated" merges with "completely neurotic and disconnected from reality."
