Forbes Africa

Thinking Differently

Illustrations via Getty Images; Photo supplied

Stephen Schmidt is Amazon’s Chief Security Officer, which means he is the person responsible for keeping the online retailing giant (last valued at over a trillion dollars) safe. It’s a massive undertaking which is why when Schmidt did the keynote of a conference wearing a t-shirt with the slogan ‘ADHD: it’s not a disability, it’s a different ability’, the world took note.

Of course, the Virginia-based Schmidt is far from the only leader who is neurodiverse – Elon Musk has been open about the fact that he has Asperger’s Syndrome, Steven Spielberg has dyslexia and Albert Einstein was autistic. From Simone Biles to Greta Thunberg, it is estimated that around 20% of the population today is considered to be neurodivergent and those who have been diagnosed (the same study by

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