
Ask HN: Can Asperger's run their own startups? - um304
Given the fact that Aspies have hard time socializing, is it even possible for them to run their own startups? Have you ever seen any Aspie run a successful business? If yes, what were the major challenges and how did they manage them?
======
gy3b
Yes certainly. Peter Thiel actually talks about people with Asperger's
possibly having an advantage in his new book.

[http://www.amazon.com/Zero-One-Notes-Startups-
Future/dp/0804...](http://www.amazon.com/Zero-One-Notes-Startups-
Future/dp/0804139296)

------
davismwfl
Having been around this a lot in my life, my answer would be it is totally
dependent on the individual. As jpetersonmn mentioned, people with Autism in
general have a wide range of abilities and those with Aspergers can vary
significantly from very mild to fairly significant.

From my experiences, usually they are amazing people and extremely intelligent
and have some abilities I really admire. Of course, many times social
interactions can be tough for them, reading body language, facial expressions
etc are also not usually something they excel at naturally. However depending
on their severity level, most can be taught to do things that come natural to
those of us without Aspergers. A friends son with Aspergers has learned to
read facial expressions better, but it took him quite a bit of effort to learn
to do it fast enough so that conversations run fairly smoothly. But I'd never
rule him out from doing whatever he wanted.

While I have no personal knowledge of someone with Aspergers running a
startup, I would say that absolutely they could run their own business and
excel. But it would all depend on the severity of their condition and their
support network.

------
tobylane
Perfectly possible, although I'd say I'm severely lacking in stress management
and people skills. Both of those are a matter of experience and confidence.
The other thing I'm lacking is a desire to make startup levels of money, but I
can't say how widespread that is in autism. If Bill Gates is considered
autistic, he certainly doesn't have problems being ruthless to raise money.
More of him would answer your question.

------
nostrademons
"Aspie" is a wide continuum. If you extend it broadly enough, it encompasses
people like Larry Page and Bill Gates, who most certainly can run their own
startups.

You do need to deal with people in a business. However, "deal with people"
does not mean "be a social butterfly", it just means understand them well
enough that you can provide what they want.

------
jpetersonmn
"Given the fact that Aspies have a hard time socializing"

As a father of a daughter with Autism, I think that you're overgeneralizing
quite a bit. People with Autism and Asperger's vary greatly in their
personalities. While a lack of social skills may be a prevalent trait, it
doesn't mean anyone on the spectrum has a hard time socializing.

~~~
um304
Please pardon my ignorance, I have just learned this term after realizing how
well it explains 26 years of my life. Wikipedia defines the syndrome like
this:

"Asperger syndrome (AS), also known as Asperger disorder (AD) or simply
Asperger's, is an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) that is characterized by
significant difficulties in social interaction and nonverbal communication,
alongside restricted and repetitive patterns of behavior and interests."

From this definition, I get the impression that "difficulties in social
interaction and nonverbal communication" is what defines AS. I'm very curious
to learn why you think it is overgeneralization.

~~~
jpetersonmn
I've already explained in my previous comment why I think it's an
overgeneralization. Even though it's a prevalent trait, personalities and
abilities vary greatly. I know several people with Asperger's and several of
them do have a difficult time socializing, others are very social but have
other traits. Obsessive hobbies, strict routines, some are very gifted in some
areas, but struggle with other things most people find simple, etc...

------
a3voices
Yes, it's easily possible provided they have enough experience and
inclination, just like anyone else. I don't see why not.

