Why Jobs for People with Autism Are Growing Beyond Tech

WSJ Tech News Briefing

The Wall Street Journal

News, Tech News

4.6 • 1.6K Ratings

🗓️ 12 June 2024

⏱️ 12 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Tech companies have long had programs to recruit and retain employees whose brains process information in ways that aren’t typical. WSJ reporter Preetika Rana explains why banks, retailers and others are recognizing the special skills of those with autism and other types of neurodivergence. Then, an advertising executive with autism discusses what it was like to share her diagnosis with her employer and how she uses tech to help with work. Zoe Thomas hosts. Sign up for the WSJ's free Technology newsletter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Z-Scaler extended its Zero Trust architecture with powerful AI engines trained by 500 trillion daily signals
0:07.8	to prevent ransomware and AI attacks that target business.
0:11.7	Z-scaler Zero Trust plus AI. Learn more at Z-scaler
0:16.0	dot com slash zero trust AI.
0:20.3	Welcome to Tech News Briefing. It's Wednesday, June 12th. I'm Zoe Thomas for the Wall Street Journal.
0:28.0	More companies are tapping a reservoir of talent the tech industry has used to develop better artificial intelligence,
0:35.2	cyber security, and other products. People with autism and other unique minds, sometimes called
0:41.2	neurodivergent. Today we're going to learn more about the skills this group of people can bring to employers.
0:47.0	The changes companies are making to keep and attract them,
0:50.0	and what it's like to be a person with neurodivergence in today's workforce.
0:57.0	For years it's been known that the tech industry has a disproportionate number of people
1:01.2	with atypical brains.
1:03.0	Elon Musk has publicly said he has Asperger's Syndrome.
1:06.3	FTX founder Sam Bankman Freed has requested access to his ADHD medicine in prison.
1:12.0	Alex Karp, CEO of AI Software Company,
1:14.7	Palantier Technology has called himself a hyper inexplicably
1:17.9	dyslexic outsider at an event last month.
1:20.7	Our reporter, Pritika Rana, has been looking into the growth of this workforce in tech and beyond, and she joins us now.
1:27.0	Pritika, every person is different, but what is it about people with autism and other neurodivergents that make them especially suited to
1:34.5	tech according to the people you spoke to.
1:37.1	Specialists say that some autistic workers have the ability to work long hours on repetitive tasks
1:42.2	such as labeling photos or videos for
	...

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