Do Alpha Male Execs Behave Like Chimps?

Oct. 8 -- A man who has spent decades writing about wildlife says observing the behavior of some of the nation's richest people is not unlike a trip to the zoo.

While comparing the wealthy to the wild might seem a little harsh, author Richard Conniff says it makes perfect sense. In his book, The Natural History of the Rich, Conniff writes that executives climbing to the top of corporate ladders exhibit mannerisms that are quite similar to those displayed by silverback gorillas.

"It's chest-beating. It's glowering," Conniff told ABCNEWS' Good Morning America. "You know, that kind of quick, sharp stare."

While corporate types may not literally beat their chests in the middle of a meeting, they often perform the verbal equivalent.

"These people all dominate with shouting, tyrannizing people and by sheer physical presence," Conniff said. "And that's exactly what an alpha male does in a chimp troupe or among gorillas."

The Inner Primate

You don't have to watch a wildlife show to see an alpha male in action, Conniff says.

On a video that has been making the rounds on the Internet, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer appears to be getting in touch with his inner primate when he leaps around the podium cheering and screaming to rile up the audience before his speech.

"I have four words for you," Ballmer said at the end of his now-infamous one-man rally. "I love this company."

Conniff says Ballmer succeeded at humiliation instead of intimidation. But aggression isn't the only way to exert control.

Corporate executives such as Ted Turner and Bill Gates have used mammoth charitable gifts to boost their stature, Conniff says. Such displays remind him of the Arabian babbler, a rare bird. To gain status, the top males of the species often feed their weaker peers.

"And the subordinate has to kind of feign submission and open its mouth and sort of beg like a nestling," Conniff said. "And then the dominant crams it down his throat. And then the dominant stands up and he sort of trills. It's kind of like a socialite being photographed by the event photographer at a charity ball."