I think (purely from experience) that introverts are naturally shy, but they might not actually be shy.
Most of the people I know who have 'made it' are the CTOs not the CEOs, but that's started to change since getting into e.f. and running CertSimple.
I met someone who runs one of the top 1000 websites a few weeks ago. Their company is beyond startup size but they still run it. They're the CEO not the CTO, and they're naturally very shy: but they also force themself to ask awkward questions and challenge people directly about non-technical things.
Introverts usually get less practise at managing social situations because they need more time alone, but that doesn't mean they can't be good at being social. :)
Shyness is the lack of self esteem in social circumstances, it's more than feasible to be a shy extrovert. The best explanation I've heard is that introverts spend a majority of their time in social circumstances scanning people, trying to understand how that person "works". That takes a LOT of mental energy.
That makes a lot of sense. I can see some naturally shy people filled with nervous energy from conflict shying away, and other naturally shy people feeling the nervousness and doing it anyway because it needs to be done.
Introvert shy away from things that doesn't really matter to them,but talk about something that they are interested - honestly you will find them as most aggressive people. :)
