Autism – the disorder for creating cool things. A look into those who move the car industry forward.

Autism, or ASD (autism spectrum disorder) is a type of disorder where people who are on said spectrum have certain difficulties in social communication and general interaction, sensory processing, difficulties reading the emotions of others as well as body language.
These people often prefer routine actions and predictable, repetitive behavioral models.

Despite all the downsides people diagnosed with Autism have to suffer through there is always a silver lining – Autistic people are great at technology – I don’t know if this is because technology follows certain rules and the input-output correlation is clearly defined or if it is just something people with Autism just have as inept ability, but the facts stand.
I will give you a few examples here and you will see:

1.  Dave Plummer – one of the greatest software lateral thinkers there ever was. The man created so many of the software we use today that it is practically impossible to live your life without impact from Dave. He used to be at Microsoft when it was cool, he created Task manager, Visual ZIP and perhaps most commonly known for Windows product activation.

Dave is also known for his writing, he created the book: Secrets of the Autistic Millionaire: Everything I know about Autism, ASD, and Asperger's that I wish I'd known back then.
This book expanded Dave’s influence to more than just a technological beacon but also a pillar for those people struggling with Autism and how to manage a world which is not designed for them.
 

Dave Plummer aside, let’s consider those people who moved the needle in our field. The automotive industry. Some of those guys who were definitely on the spectrum, some even before it existed. Those who are now considered geniuses in our fieldbut certainly exhibited those characteristics.

2.  Old man Enzo Ferrari. A man who I am not a particular fan of,  but a man with undoubtedly singular vision of achieving his goals at all costs. Enzo kept pushing the limits of motorsports back when no one even knew motorsports even had limits. Famously his road cars were just sold to fuel his passion for racing. With questionable build quality and bugger welds all over the square profile chassis, nevertheless from today’s perspective the “Insufferable man” according to Hank the Deuce was almost certainly one of those who’s influence on the modern automobile is undeniable.
 

3 Ferdinand Piech. A man so influential yet so unknown to the mass public that it isn’t fair. This is why I try to spread the word about him as often as I can. Ferdinand Karl Piech was the grandson of Ferdinand Porsche – the OG innovator in the car world, just like Henry Ford junior was the son of the Henry Ford. You can say whatever you want about Porsche and Ford (politically and historically speaking) but they undoubtedly changed the world. Ferdinand Piech, perhaps stands in his grandfather's enormous shadow but to no fault of his own. He was notoriously difficult to deal with, he would fire entire teams at a time, Bob Lutz was also a victim of that but one thing remains for certain, as head of VAG he laid the foundation of what the whole automotive world is today. Piech single handedly created the automotive platform as a concept. He started that with the D2 A8 Audi and evolved it in MLB2 to create the Phaeton- a car so complex and so difficult to build that VW lost tens of thousands on each unit sold. To understand why we must first see the list of requirements Piech gave the VW development team. Piech gave the development team a list of ten parameters the car needed to fulfill. Most of these specifications were not made known to the public, but a number of them were told to automotive reporters.
 

One of them was that the Phaeton should be capable of being driven all day at 300 km/h (186 mph) with an exterior temperature of 50 °C (122 °F) whilst maintaining an interior temperature of 22 °C (72 °F).[13] Piëch requested this even though the Phaeton's top speed was electronically limited to 250 km/h (155.3 mph).[10] Other requirements were that the car should have a torsional rigidity of 37,000 N·m/degree, and that the electric motors that perform various functions in the vehicle be hidden for a cleaner look.

Here is one of the initial drafts of Piech’s ideas about the Phaeton:

Although this was Piech’s most popular achievement, few people know that he is the father of the Veyron, it was Piech who bought Bugatti. When nobody else would. He breathed new life into it and created the first Hypercar. This was recently reborn by the grateful Bugatti team.
 

So, thankful were the Bugatti team that they now called the car FKP for Ferdinand Karl Piech. I also think that all “special Bugattis” from now on will be under the FKP abbreviation. This happened under another one of those extremely special automotive people – Frank Heyl. Chief designer at Bugatti another Piëchfan. All your MQB, MLBs and Cayennes and Q7s and Touaregs and V10 TDIs and V12 TDIs and W12s and V10 Twin turbos all stem from one man’s vision. His social skills though? Questionable at best.

The examples I gave you clearly point to a pattern which undoubtedly leads to the fact that if you are quick to dismiss someone who you consider “On the spectrum” you should think twice because this person may just be looking for their calling.
I would like to dedicate this post to everyone who feels similarly to what Autism is described as and think deeply about your calling. Ignore the buzz and focus on inner peace.
 

Until next week,
Alek