Is Asperger’s Syndrome a Superpower?
Peter Thiel is the billionaire co-founder of PayPal and Palantir Technologies, and was the first outside investor in Facebook. Clearly a savvy investor and entrepreneur, plenty of people in the business world--be it seasoned executives or startup founders--seek his counsel.
Several years ago, Thiel offered a unique insight into what the secret sauce could be when it comes to founding successful companies. His theory: Asperger's Syndrome.
A person with Asperger's typically has limited social skills paired with an intense ability to focus on specific things. "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,” said Thiel. “We need to ask what is it about our society where those of us who do not suffer from Asperger’s are at some massive disadvantage because we will be talked out of our interesting, original, creative ideas before they’re even fully formed. Oh that’s a little bit too weird, that’s a little bit too strange and maybe I’ll just go ahead and open the restaurant that I’ve been talking about that everyone else can understand and agree with, or do something extremely safe and conventional.”
When most of us can be dissuaded by peer pressure, self-doubt, or social norms, those with Asperger's (or at least traits consistent with the syndrome), aren't phased and soldier on. It's like wearing an invisible cloak that insulates you from societal pressures.
I've worked with some athletes who I suspected fell somewhere on the spectrum. They were usually a little socially awkward, and probably didn't fit the profile of what you think of when you picture a professional athlete. They also had a unique kind of chip on their shoulder: a matter of fact confidence in their ability to deliver, as if success was a foregone conclusion.
Did this trait play a factor in them reaching the pinnacle of their field? I think so. Look, we're all encumbered to some extent by fear and doubt in our everyday life. In sports, athletes perform their best when they play free. Most of the successful ones are able, through a variety of techniques, to turn those normal inhibitions into fuel that drives their performance. But what if you never had the inhibitions to begin with? One less hurdle in your way.
Thiel's theory is a spin on extreme self-belief. You and I are worried if we'll look stupid, how we'll afford it, or that we're not smart enough to pull it off. The folks that Thiel is talking about aren't bothered by those considerations. They know what they want their end point to be, and have laser focus on how to get there.
Last issue, I wrote about Kobe Bryant's maniacal commitment and work ethic. I'm not suggesting Kobe was on the spectrum, but he clearly wasn't worried about fitting in, being popular, or whether he had teammates that were willing to meet him in gym early in the morning. He was intensely focused on being great, and winning.
I'm not advocating we should all run around saying rules-be-damned and ignoring social cues. But it's interesting to consider just how limiting our environment can be if we allow it to be. The desire to be a part of something is innate in most of us. We all want to belong and fit in. The fearless ambition it requires to achieve great things isn't as common. That doesn't mean that everyone who has that fearlessness has Asperger's Syndrome, though. Maybe they can just tell those particular norms don't apply to them, because they have eyes on something else entirely.