In our second episode, we talk with Arik Marmostein; he is a serial entrepreneur who’s founded Mimoona, RefreshBox, and most recently Spectroomz, a remote freelance blog for autistic talent. Arik lives in Israel with his wife and his autistic son.

Follow Arik:

• Website: Spectroomz.com
• Facebook: AutismJobsBlog
• Twitter: @Spectroomz

Topics of discussion:

0:38 Greetings and quarantine1:11 Arik as a serial entrepreneur3:00 How Arik manages all of his projects4:43 Ro’im Rachok: Autistics in the Israeli Defense Force6:40 Major corporations specifically hiring autistics8:15 Corporations resist neurodiversity10:14 Autistic work preferences11:16 Matt’s bad work experience11:46 Martin’s work preferences12:00 Arik loved studying law but not practicing it14:35 Arik’s aspie traits and broad autism phenotype15:15 Rare mutation turns Arik’s son into an autistic X-Men16:23 Arik’s son suffers a seizure17:45 Arik embraces his son’s autism18:35 Autistics speak on the torture of ABA therapy19:35 Eye contact can be tough20:45 Arik’s son’s diagnosis21:22 Verbal, high IQ autistic kids dig older folks but struggle with other kids23:10 The issue of a lack of knowledge on autism24:50 Autism had awful public relations26:22 Matt’s 25-year-long journey to receive an autism diagnosis28:23 River otters spotted!29:18 Autism research focused on children (particularly boys) at the expense of adults30:00 Gatekeeping achievements31:40 “If he didn’t have that mutation, he’d be a genius”32:50 Googling for hope: Autistic geniuses34:00 Autistics withheld from showing off their talents34:46 Remote work to help autistics and NTs35:17 Autistics are more than code monkeys38:23 The variety of behaviors on the spectrum39:53 Autistics prefer detailed instructions and minimal social interactions41:20 The sociological issues of the treatments of autistics42:55 MDMA reduces anxiety in autistic study participants46:22 Supposed empathy deficits in autism really caused by co-occurring alexithymia47:25 Coming out as autistic at work48:22 Everyday discrimination50:02 The Moses of neurotypes: How Arik bridges the autistic–NT divide54:00 Neurodiversity isn’t a priority at most organizations56:00 Fluorescent lighting sucks56:26 Accommodations at work57:36 Bigger organizations lack flexibility58:45 The mission of Spectroomz1:00:17 What Arik’s learned from working with autistic people1:02:08 Nevo’s (Arik’s son) special interests1:05:38 Arik doesn’t dig the Foo Fighters1:06:46 Arik and Nevo’s Infinite Playlist1:08:18 Two very important questions1:08:51 The best hummus in Israel1:09:53 The great US hummus hoax1:10:39 More on Sonya Bot1:12:00 How Arik created Sonya Bot1:13:18 Sonya Bot is universal1:14:28 Sign up for Spectroomz!1:15:10 Arik’s social media