Ultranauts totally transformed the hiring process to embrace neurodiversity
Ultranauts started with a simple but powerful idea: What if the data engineering company could create a workplace that values strengths rather than penalizing differences?
Fast forward ten years, and founders Rajesh Anandan and Art Shectman have built a company where the majority of the team brings neurodiversity to the table, whether it's autism, ADHD, dyslexia, dyspraxia, or auditory challenges. Notably, there are more women than men, even in leadership positions.
The company also boasts a higher percentage of Black managers (20% of leadership) compared to the entry level, and a third of the team identifies as LGBTQ+. On top of that, a quarter of the top performers at Ultranauts don't have university degrees. Ultranauts employees also have a higher incidence of mental health conditions such as severe anxiety and PTSD.
Ultranauts believes that, like biodiversity in ecosystems, diversity in the workplace leads to more resilient teams that can thrive in dynamic environments. "We've seen how some of our friends have struggled to navigate a society and systems that just weren't designed for them," says Anandan.
Published May 10, 2023 - Read the full article on Quartz