This article seems like it should have been flagged as part of political detox week, as it's promoting more emotional than useful discussions.

I do think your first sentence has some truth, but I wouldn't use Thiel as a reference as it just seems to be an appeal to emotion.

Is there any evidence backing up Thiel's assertion? It sounds like romanticizing the past and idealizing eccentricity. It's also begging the question that eccentric/idiosyncratic people make the best scientists.