The Power of Specially Gifted Software Testers

Specialisterne ("The Specialists") is a Danish company that employs people with very special capabilities to perform complex and difficult tasks, including software testing, quality control, and data conversion. Their customers are companies such as Computer Sciences Corporation (CSC), Microsoft, and leading Danish IT organizations. Their founder and our presenter, Thorkil Sonne, received the IT Award 2008 from the Danish IT Industry Association for the company's ability to find and employ especially talented people in IT. Seventy-five percent of the employees of Specialisterne have autism--Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD)--typically Asperger’s Syndrome. Traditionally, society has viewed people with ASD as handicapped. Yet, their abilities to concentrate, stick to tasks, and quickly absorb highly complex technical information are exactly the characteristics of the best software testers. Hear Thorkil's vision and strategy on how he believes the software testing industry worldwide can derive considerable benefit from employing special people with autism.