> Look at all the people earning good salaries at tech companies today. They're obviously in a great place in their life, but thats hardly "exceptionalism" lik

> Look at all the people earning good salaries at tech companies today. They're obviously in a great place in their life, but thats hardly "exceptionalism" like Van Neumann was. Tech exceptionals are a different and more selective cohort (you said CEOs). Take Steve Jobs - he wasn't wealthy, but he spent time alone as a child, and his earlier teachers gave him extra personal attention. His parents would share their interests with him (eg carpentry), and gave him freedom to learn from them and also learn from the neighbors (who were Silicon Valley engineers). He cold-called Hewlett (H of HP) who gave him a job at 13. He was starting businesses in high school for money. Steve was given a long leash to learn, ample minds and talent to observe, and was treated like a self-directed adult as a child.