Fairfax, VA – Bestselling author, and founder of PayPal thinks people with Asperger’s have the right mindset to succeed in Silicon Vally.
In an interview with economist Tyler Cowen at George Mason University, Peter Thiel gave his reasons why won’t hire MBA’s, and why, in his mind, people who have Aspergers are the pals that get paid because of their determined focus and ability to ignore conventional rules for innovative ideas.
People with MBA’s, Thiel explains, usually are “high extrovert/low conviction people,” with a cocktail of characteristics that “leads towards extremely herd-like thinking and behavior.” He also hates groupthink, a situation where people often support disastrous ideas in effort to keep harmony within the group.
People with Aspergers, according to Thiel, are the exact opposite of that and are usually the ones who succeed in technology. He told Tyler Cowen,
“In Silicon Valley, I point out that many of the more successful entrepreneurs seem to be suffering from a mild form of Asperger’s where it’s like you’re missing the imitation, socialization gene.”
According to him, because people with Asperger’s find socialization hard to handle they often delve into their technological passions.
“If you’re less sensitive to social cues, then you’re less likely to do the same thing as everyone else around you…you’ll be less afraid to pursue those activities single-mindedly and thereby become incredibly good at them,”
This isnt’ the first time Thiel has made such statements. Autism Daily Newscast reported similar comments last fall when Thiel was speaking at conference: PayPal co-founder says workers with Asperger’s more effective than workers with MBA
Thiel and co-author Blake Masters wrote in their bestseller Zero to One.
Contributed by Audrey L. Hollingshead
Source: Peter Thiel: Asperger’s can be a big advantage in Silicon Valley