Some of the greatest minds I have ever known have been marred by genius. What some in society perceive to be different is often met with ridicule, scorn or suspicion and, yet, this sort of treatment is what heightens eccentricities to the point at which all genius explodes or fades.

So clever and creatively brilliant, many geniuses have suffered all for which they should have been celebrated... It was only last week that I sent a message to a friend whose brother had recently committed suicide. I wrote, “Some people are simply too brilliant for this world.” And it’s true. Some are.

What is normal?

So what is “normal”? Normal is relative. “If you were born on a colony on Mars tomorrow and everyone was dressed as Ziggy Stardust, that would be normal to you” says inventor Tom Lawton and he is right.

And after all, aren’t we all a little mad or sad in our own way? When I look at the tech industry, it makes me wonder if anyone striving to achieve something greater than their neighbour might be deemed slightly insane?

I have come across a lot of highly intelligent people in this industry, and I follow even more on Twitter, and one thing I see, time and time again, is how quickly their position can go from victorious to vilification. It seems genius can do no wrong. It is not permitted.

But why not? What is it about genius which causes others to fear or flee? Why aren’t we sympathetic to geniuses, and mental health, instead of critical?

What I fear is that as technology itself grows at exponential rates, aren’t we all being put under an ever greater magnifying glass? In an age where technology can permit all genius to thrive, are we actually using it to the opposite end? Will we prevent the intellect of opinion for fear of mass criticism? Not all geniuses have courage so what does that mean for them? For us?

Genius transcends all disciplines, but what it doesn’t transcend is societal acceptance.

Last year, quite the hatchet jobs were written on Jeff Bezos and Amazon, Elizabeth Holmes’ Theranos, Travis Kalanick’s Uber, and more recently Tony Fadell and Nest. In times gone by, similar has been (and continues to be) written about Steve Jobs, among others, and I don’t claim for a second that some of what is written is without merit but, is it not more prudent to accept imperfections than it is to crucify someone for doing, or attempting to do, something deemed impossible?

Do we think Goliath companies (Amazon has more than 180,000 employees; Apple 60,000 in 2011) would be run by someone who is both meek and mild? I don’t have the answer but I have long believed there is not only a fine line between madness and genius, but that the line also lies perilously close to insufferable yet highly successful.

“Those who dream by day are cognizant of many things which escape those who dream only by night.” Edgar Allan Poe

Bezos is not the first, nor will he be the last, pioneer to be attacked for being different, even difficult. There were many before him and there will be many to come. Some of our greatest inventors, artists, musicians, writers, innovators and now tech entrepreneurs have been afflicted by genius. Whether they have suffered ridicule from society or turned on themselves with self-loathing and depression ~ their central curse is their genius. For genius transcends all disciplines, but what it doesn’t transcend is societal acceptance.

And that is the thing about doing something new ~ you will find what feels like insurmountable obstacles to climb at times and it takes a particular type of person to climb them, again and again. These people deserve more than scorn and suspicion.

“Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds.” Albert Einstein

Now, I appreciate that there are many, many excellent businesses run by highly intelligent and efficient founders who are also really nice people but, I also see how and why some of the most innovative businesses in the world are run by people most would find it hard to live, let alone work, with.

Apparently (according, I believe, to Ashlee Vance, who wrote the book on Elon), MB asked for a raise. Elon told her that if she was truly critical to SpaceX, it should not be able to operate in her absence (or something to that effect). He suggested a 3-week experiment to test this hypothesis/her worth. This reminds me of something similar he once said to me, many years ago, after I came back from a week’s visit with my family in Canada — that his life had operated quite smoothly in my absence. He was letting me know that I was an incompetent house manager. Justine Musk on Quora.

“True genius is alienating. Geniuses perceive the world in a different way than other people do, and as a result they have trouble interacting with other people.” Source.

When genius is dressed in ridicule

In the early days of the Industrial Revolution, the concept of human aviation was furiously mocked by most who came across it. The idea that anyone would attach “wings” to their arms and fling themselves off a cliff were seen as preposterous and certainly certifiable.

Otto Lilienthal, followed by the Wright Brothers, were deemed deluded dreamers, even after taking flight, so why is it that some press on and push boundaries whilst others fail to reach their potential? I believe it comes down to a certain level of perceived madness masked as confidence or vice versa. An unwavering belief that however much you may be mocked or scorned for what you are trying to achieve, that you have the strength to persist and succeed.

Accepting genius, foibles and all

In an age where everyone seems to strive for innovation, how well do we deal with those capable of creating it?

“No great genius has ever existed without some touch of madness.” Aristotle

Are we living in a world where we create, cultivate and encourage a homogeneous breed of entrepreneur? One that finishes their degree, as is expected of them, despite the fact it has almost no relevance to modern day, and immediately enters a factory line supposedly preparing them for a life of entrepreneurship? Is entrepreneurship and outside of the box thinking something you can teach? I fear not, for those who are most capable of achieving great things are already on their path; a path which was largely mapped out in their formative years when they were taught about curiosity, confidence, opportunity and risk-taking.

These lessons are learned from a young age and from the environment in which you came, and after years of developing such self-belief, knowledge and focus, it becomes very hard to fit into what some might deem “normal”. If you believe you can create greatness and you manage to do that, it’s very hard to then accept that it can’t happen again. Some see this is as arrogance.

One of Uber’s earliest investors explains Kalanick’s pugnacious reputation in more matter-of-fact terms: “It’s hard to be a disrupter and not be an asshole.” Kara Swisher, Vanity Fair

In 2000, a study tested the intelligence of 700,000 Swedish 16-year-olds and followed up 10 years later only to learn that those who excelled when they were 16, were four times likely to go on to develop bipolar disorder.

There is an argument that “madness” somehow elevates creative genius but what if it was the other way around? What if being “different” is what enabled one to think outside the box, to believe in things most others would scoff at? What if working in your own distortion field was the key to serious success in a world filled with wannabes who are baying for the blood of high achievers?

Nobody who ever built a great company wasn’t ridiculed along the way. If you are driven by social signals, you shouldn’t be an entrepreneur. That’s not to say that you shouldn’t ever listen to input, but you have to decide for yourself. 
Ben Horowitz, Product Hunt Live Chat.

In days gone by, someone who achieves unfathomable success, in their field, would remain fairly distant to those at the other end of the spectrum yet, under today’s magnifying glass, everyone has an opinion and a supposed right to claim their opinion as gospel. Therein lies the rub.

It appears the greatest can take two routes ~ they can publicly disclose their ambition and suffer retribution from the naysayers or they can turn inward and let society do its worst to/without them. I know which I prefer to see.

The “Steve Jobs” film ultimately suggests that the deeply unpleasant behavior of people in the tech industry may be worth putting up with because of what they sometimes manage to create, often in spite of themselves…

The tech founders who will rule our future are shown as hapless and comically myopic, inspired either by a desire for world domination or by petty efforts to relieve their social anxieties. @fmanjoo, NY Times

All this criticism flung at tech founders seems misguided at best.

Is it “normal” to wear the same outfit every day for years?
Is it “normal” to eat only carrots and apples for weeks at a time?
Is it “normal” to single-handedly turn a company losing billions into one of the most successful companies of all time? Steve Jobs definitely wasn’t normal and, by most accounts, he was a tyrant to work with.

“Every creative act, every new formula, every ground-breaking innovation, is an act of rebellion that may — if successful — destroy an old, existing concept. So every time a brilliant mind sees a new possibility, it is faced with a moment of supreme risk-taking.” Desmond Morris, The Telegraph.

Isn’t crazy just a misunderstood intellect? Nurturing talent of any kind is paramount and, as an industry, we can build the very tools and community to do just that. And so we should.

“When a true genius appears in this world, you may know him by this sign, that the dunces are all in confederacy against him.” — Jonathan Swift

Whether it’s the Wright Brothers attempt to allow humans to fly, Steve Jobs’ famous reality distortion field, or Kanye West’s creative confidence, why do we try to limit the very minds who wish to push boundaries?

Every generation has its “crazy” geniuses trying to change the world. I just hope we can be the first to recognise, support and encourage those who have the ability to not only dream, but make these wild projections a reality. For without such people, the world would be a far lesser place.

“What’s the thing that makes magic magic? The fact that no one believes it’s possible.” Kanye West.