Cannot do so? Ok, jerks cannot be avoided.

Of course they *could* but your point is moot. A programmer like this is much like a comedian fighting depression or a musician with mommy or daddy issues. It comes with the territory. It doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be controlled, but a wise developer knows and accepts this and learns how to deal with it. Not dealing with it (by way of nurture and some diplomacy) makes you just as guilty and you’re likely just weakening your team’s potential for the sake of not having to have your own ego hurt.

This.

I have to disagree. Brilliant people tend to be jerks. Not all of them, but many of them. So, I can’t agree when you say you can and must fire them because they don’t produce. I’d urge you to stay objective too. Are they jerks that are making it hard to work as a group, or do you just not like the way they word things? There are jerks that are all talk, and there are jerks that are brilliant and just have a hard time dealing with people. It’s an introvert’s profession, and you get everything that comes with that. Now if they’re just a-holes that come with no good or are literally just getting in everyone’s face and not getting anything done, then do what you need to do. Right now, this comment just sounds like whining.

I have been a hands on software developer for 25 years. I have been dealing with all this crap by basically retreating into my own shell after the first few weeks of gathering information about the code and system (the hardest part). During this period, I also identify the jerks and backstabbers in the team. From then on I just figure it out myself. Only problem: after a while the the asshole bosses will start complaining that I don’t “interact” with others in the team and that I have issues with “communication”. Then it usually goes downhill with the boss and that is when I leave for my next gig. I have had 23 jobs in 25 years.

That’s an interesting observation. As a parent of a child with Autism, I can tell you he is more likely to be a wallflower than someone who is plotting to take others down, and he doesn’t have a clue how to network.

I do admit that his tact and social skills are sorely lacking and I am sure he can at times come across as an ass. That is mostly because he doesn’t understand nuances or how to be polite – he’s just direct. If someone takes him aside and explains what he’s doing, he will try and be better at it.

I am just saying that saying the industry is compromised due to the hiring of Autistic people is a crazy generalization.