What you can learn from employees with autism
Four years ago, Thorkil Sonne realised his young autistic son possessed an extraordinary memory and a remarkable eye for detail. Those traits are prevalent among people with autism and Sonne saw an opportunity to help individuals with the disorder find productive employment. As the technical director of a Danish software venture, he knew those qualities were critical in software testers. So he launched Specialisterne (Danish for “The Specialists”), a Copenhagen-based software-testing firm that now has 51 employees, including 37 with autism, and revenues of US$2 million.
Q: You started your company to improve the lives of people with autism. Why not just create a nonprofit focused on research or job training?