The Variance Thesis: Neurodivergence as a Distribution-Width Claim and the Engineering Case for Containment Infrastructure

Neurodivergence is frequently framed as a superiority claim. The evidence does not support this. The defensible claim is narrower: cognitive outliers are not shifted upward as a population; they are spread wider. This paper assembles three convergent lines of association, not causation: dyslexia runs at 35% among US entrepreneurs versus roughly 15% in the general population; a 2026 meta-analysis of 47 studies and 298 effect sizes finds ADHD hyperactivity/impulsivity associated with entrepreneurial launch but not post-launch outcomes, while inattention is negatively associated with post-launch outcomes; and autistic adults show roughly 17% employment, 3.5x unemployment odds, and roughly 56% outside the labour force entirely. The operational conclusion: the scarce resource is not the outlier but a structure that can hold an outlier at full output. The paper contributes the 100-Mind Census, a provenance-flagged open specification of 100 neurocognitive conditions with prevalence, documented strength, and the structural support each requires.