The Economist: In Praise of Geeks

This article in The Economist is fascinating reading. In many areas, including high tech positions and entrepreneurial ventures, so-called "geeks" are dominating the ranks and business initiative of creative and innovative people--and many share traits similar to Asperger's, autism and ADD. Really.

An excerpt from the article:

IN 1956 William Whyte argued in his bestseller, "The Organisation Man", that companies were so in love with "well-rounded" executives that they fought a "fight against genius". Today many suffer from the opposite prejudice. Software firms gobble up anti-social geeks. Hedge funds hoover up equally oddball quants. Hollywood bends over backwards to accommodate the whims of creatives. And policymakers look to rule-breaking entrepreneurs to create jobs. Unlike the school playground, the marketplace is kind to misfits. 

Recruiters have noticed that the mental qualities that make a good computer programmer resemble those that might get you diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome: an obsessive interest in narrow subjects; a passion for numbers, patterns and machines; an addiction to repetitive tasks; and a lack of sensitivity to social cues. Some joke that the internet was invented by and for people who are "on the spectrum", as they put it in the Valley. Online, you can communicate without the ordeal of meeting people. 

---"In praise of misfits," The Economist (6.2.2012)

Link to full article:
http://www.economist.com/node/21556230?fsrc=nlw|hig|5-31-2012|1977420|36652682|NA