Xiotech has some amazing old nerds. See descriptions here and pictures here.
Most nerds who entered some computer-oriented field in the 1960's (like I did) gradually figured out that being a nerd was the best way to do most of the work and get the least of the credit, money and appreciation. So they wised up, dressed up, cleaned up and moved up the management hierarchy.
Of the remaining nerds, most kind of drifted along being role players, fulfilling some incredibly narrow function.
But some nerds were so strong, so self-motivated and so, well, nerdy, that they marched along actually doing real work, solving new problems, and creating products that changed industries. They didn't deny their inner nerdiness. They were proud of it during the days when it wasn't something to be proud of.
One of the many amazing things about Xiotech's CTO, Steve Sicola, is that he is a world-class "nerd herder." Now that he is aided and abetted by the terrific Xiotech CEO, Alan Atkinson, he has been able to attract an amazing group of wildly productive and experienced nerds.The ones pictured on the web site aren't the only ones, either! Just to name a couple, there is Todd Burkey, Randy Roberson, Marshall Midden, Mark Rustad, and even that isn't everyone.
This isn't just of historical or sociological interest. Old nerds of this kind, when given resources and focused on a juicy business problem, can conceive and build better products, more quickly and efficiently, than whole departments of well-qualified engineers working at established companies. It's like everyone else has a bunch of beginners at chess, organized and led by a bunch of chess "managers" (what a concept!), while Xiotech has an elite team of energized and focused chess grand masters. The rest of the world is hopelessly outclassed.
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