Bram Cohen is the creator of BitTorrent protocol which is an ingenuous but controversial software that allows people to share data and media content.
In his late twenties in 2001, Cohen started to make a software program for nine months. While most people will find it hard to sit on a chair and do nothing but solve complicated computer programs for almost a year, his brain has the ability to focus itself to intricate patterns because of his condition called Asperger’s syndrome.
Some psychologists suggest that Asperger’s is a mild case of autism, but this mental condition remains mysterious given the fact that this has only been recognized in the mid 90s. But according to some experts, places where there is a large concentration of high tech companies (e.g. Silicon Valley in California) usually attract people with this kind of condition.
While people diagnosed with Asperger’s may seem to be gifted with the ability to solve intricate patterns and with impressive spatial skills, they lack social abilities which makes it difficult for them to work in an environment that demands good communication skills. And this is where Cohen’s problem started as soon as he decided to make his own company BitTorrent.
His eccentricities and quirks may seem to confuse some of his employees. Knowing that he must adopt some social skills to run his business, he tried his best to mimic other people’s expressions and tried to fit in to the social norms. But still, his innate tendencies sometimes burst out of control which had offended some new employees who are unaware of his condition. Because of this, he tried to tell other people about his Asperger’s. In one instance when he met with venture capitalists, Cohen removed his shoes and told them that he has this condition to avoid misunderstanding.
In 2006, Cohen resigned as CEO of BitTorrent and was replaced by Doug Walker who had worked in a graphic software company.