Scott Raymond Adams (born June 8, 1957) is the creator of the
DilbertDilbert is an American comic strip written and drawn by Scott Adams. Dilbert is known for its satirical office humor about a white-collar, micromanaged office featuring the engineer Dilbert as the title character...
comic stripA comic strip is a sequence of cartoons that tells a story, often humorous, though adventures and soap opera-like dramas are also prevalent. They are written and drawn by a comics artist or cartoonist, and many are published on a recurring basis in newspapers and on the Internet.In the UK and the...
and the
authorAn author is defined both as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created...
of several nonfiction works of
satireSatire is often strictly defined as a literary genre or form; although in practice it is also found in the graphic and performing arts. In satire, human or individual vices, follies, abuses, or shortcomings are held up to censure by means of ridicule, derision, burlesque, irony, or other methods,...
, commentary, business, and general speculation.
Scott Adams was born in Windham,
New YorkNew York is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation's third most populous. The state is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
in 1957, and graduated valedictorian from Windham Central School, in a class size of 39. He remained in the area for college, receiving his
Bachelor's degreeA bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for four years, but can range from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
in Economics from
Hartwick CollegeHartwick College is a non-denominational, private, four-year, liberal arts and sciences college located in Oneonta, New York, in the United States...
in 1979.
He also studied
economicsEconomics is the social science that studies the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...
and
managementManagement in all business and human organization activity is simply the act of getting people together to accomplish desired goals and objectives. Management comprises planning, organizing, staffing, leading, directing, facilitating and controlling or manipulating an organization or effort for...
for his 1986
MBAThe Master of Business Administration is a master's degree in business administration, which attracts people from a wide range of academic disciplines. The MBA designation originated in the United States, emerging from the late 19th century as the country industrialized and companies sought out...
from the
Haas School of BusinessThe Walter A. Haas School of Business, better known as the Haas School of Business or simply Haas, is one of 14 schools and colleges at the University of California, Berkeley....
at the
University of California, BerkeleyThe University of California, Berkeley is a public research university located in Berkeley, California, United States. The oldest of the ten major campuses affiliated with the University of California, Berkeley offers some 300 undergraduate and graduate degree programs in a wide range of disciplines...
.
In recent years, Adams has had a series of debilitating health problems. Since late 2004, he has suffered from a reemergence of his
focal dystoniaFocal dystonia is a neurological condition affecting a muscle or group of muscles in a part of the body causing an undesirable muscular contraction or twisting...
which has affected his drawing, though he can work around the problem by drawing using a
graphics tabletA graphics tablet is a computer input device that allows one to hand-draw images and graphics, similar to the way one draws images with a pencil and paper...
.
Always Postpone Meetings with Time-wasting Morons 
Title of book, Always Postpone Meetings with Time-wasting Morons (1995)
Normal people don't understand this concept; they believe that if it ain't broke, don't fix it. Engineers believe that if it ain't broke, it doesn't have enough features yet.
They say that dogs lick their own genitalia because they can. But I think it's at least partially because they don't have the Internet.
The world isn't fair, but as long as it's tilting in my direction I find that there's a natural cap to my righteous indignation.
As you know, the best way to solve a problem is to identify the core belief that causes the problem; then mock that belief until the people who hold it insist that you heard them wrong.
If there is one thing that our role models in this election have taught us, it's that omitting important information is completely different from lying.
The biggest issue in this election is something called flip-flopping, and all candidates are accused of doing it. A strong leader is expected to maintain steadfast resolve in his opinion even if the environment changes or he gets new information. In any other context, that would be considered the first sign of a brain tumor. When presidents do it, it's called leadership, and frankly, we can't get enough of it.
Just because no one has ever gotten better from Spasmodic Dysphonia before doesn't mean I can't be the first.
Ask a deeply religious Christian if he’d rather live next to a bearded Muslim that may or may not be plotting a terror attack, or an atheist that may or may not show him how to set up a wireless network in his house. On the scale of prejudice, atheists don’t seem so bad lately.
There’s nothing more humbling than seeing your best quotes in a list, and thinking they could have been written by a coma patient with a keyboard and spasms.
Scott Raymond Adams (born June 8, 1957) is the creator of the
DilbertDilbert is an American comic strip written and drawn by Scott Adams. Dilbert is known for its satirical office humor about a white-collar, micromanaged office featuring the engineer Dilbert as the title character...
comic stripA comic strip is a sequence of cartoons that tells a story, often humorous, though adventures and soap opera-like dramas are also prevalent. They are written and drawn by a comics artist or cartoonist, and many are published on a recurring basis in newspapers and on the Internet.In the UK and the...
and the
authorAn author is defined both as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created...
of several nonfiction works of
satireSatire is often strictly defined as a literary genre or form; although in practice it is also found in the graphic and performing arts. In satire, human or individual vices, follies, abuses, or shortcomings are held up to censure by means of ridicule, derision, burlesque, irony, or other methods,...
, commentary, business, and general speculation.
Personal life
Scott Adams was born in Windham,
New YorkNew York is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation's third most populous. The state is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
in 1957, and graduated valedictorian from Windham Central School, in a class size of 39. He remained in the area for college, receiving his
Bachelor's degreeA bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for four years, but can range from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
in Economics from
Hartwick CollegeHartwick College is a non-denominational, private, four-year, liberal arts and sciences college located in Oneonta, New York, in the United States...
in 1979.
He also studied
economicsEconomics is the social science that studies the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...
and
managementManagement in all business and human organization activity is simply the act of getting people together to accomplish desired goals and objectives. Management comprises planning, organizing, staffing, leading, directing, facilitating and controlling or manipulating an organization or effort for...
for his 1986
MBAThe Master of Business Administration is a master's degree in business administration, which attracts people from a wide range of academic disciplines. The MBA designation originated in the United States, emerging from the late 19th century as the country industrialized and companies sought out...
from the
Haas School of BusinessThe Walter A. Haas School of Business, better known as the Haas School of Business or simply Haas, is one of 14 schools and colleges at the University of California, Berkeley....
at the
University of California, BerkeleyThe University of California, Berkeley is a public research university located in Berkeley, California, United States. The oldest of the ten major campuses affiliated with the University of California, Berkeley offers some 300 undergraduate and graduate degree programs in a wide range of disciplines...
.
In recent years, Adams has had a series of debilitating health problems. Since late 2004, he has suffered from a reemergence of his
focal dystoniaFocal dystonia is a neurological condition affecting a muscle or group of muscles in a part of the body causing an undesirable muscular contraction or twisting...
which has affected his drawing, though he can work around the problem by drawing using a
graphics tabletA graphics tablet is a computer input device that allows one to hand-draw images and graphics, similar to the way one draws images with a pencil and paper...
. He also suffers from
spasmodic dysphoniaSpasmodic dysphonia is a voice disorder characterized by involuntary movements of one or more muscles of the larynx during speech.- Types of spasmodic dysphonia :...
, a condition that causes the
vocal cordsThe vocal folds, also known commonly as vocal cords, are composed of twin infoldings of mucous membrane stretched horizontally across the larynx. They vibrate, modulating the flow of air being expelled from the lungs during phonation...
to behave in an abnormal manner. He recovered from this condition temporarily but in July 2008 underwent surgery to rewire the
nerveA nerve is an enclosed, cable-like bundle of peripheral axons . A nerve provides a common pathway for the electrochemical nerve impulses that are transmitted along each of the axons. Nerves are found only in the peripheral nervous system...
connections to his vocal cord. As of October 2008, Adams reports he has regained the ability to speak, though not yet to shout. His condition is expected to continue improving over time as the nerve pathways regenerate.
Adams is trained as a hypnotist and is a vegetarian. He is a strong believer in
affirmationsAffirmations in New Age and New Thought terminology refers primarily to the practice of positive thinking - fostering "a positive mental attitude supported by affirmations will achieve success in anything."...
, which he credits with his career, Dilbert's success, a ninety-four on a difficult qualification exam for business school, among other unlikely events.
He married Shelly Miles in 2006 and currently resides in
Dublin, CaliforniaDublin is a suburban city of the East Bay region of Alameda County, California, United States. It is located along the north side of Interstate 580 at the intersection with Interstate 680, roughly east of Hayward, 6 miles west of Livermore and north of San Jose...
. However, he has announced plans to move to a multimillion dollar home in nearby
PleasantonPleasanton is the name of several places in the United States of America:* Pleasanton, California* Pleasanton, Iowa* Pleasanton, Kansas* Pleasanton, Nebraska* Pleasanton, New Mexico* Pleasanton, Texas* Pleasanton Township, MichiganSee also...
.
He has described his own political views as "Libertarian, minus the crazy stuff," and he supported
Michael BloombergMichael Rubens Bloomberg is the current Mayor of New York City. He was listed as the eighth-richest American, with a net worth of US $16 billion, in the Forbes 400 on September 17, 2008, making him the richest resident of New York City, ahead of David H. Koch...
for president in 2008The Draft Bloomberg movement was a political movement launched in 2007, in an effort to convince New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg to run for president....
.
Career
Adams writes in a semi-
satiricalSatire is often strictly defined as a literary genre or form; although in practice it is also found in the graphic and performing arts. In satire, human or individual vices, follies, abuses, or shortcomings are held up to censure by means of ridicule, derision, burlesque, irony, or other methods,...
, often
sarcasticSarcasm is a form of humor that uses sharp, cutting remarks or language intended to mock, wound, or subject to contempt or ridicule, generally saying the opposite of what the statement really is.-Origin of the term:...
way about the social and mental landscape of
white-collar workerThe term white-collar worker refers to a salaried professional or an educated worker who performs semi-professional office, administrative, and sales coordination tasks, as opposed to a blue-collar worker, whose job requires manual labor...
s in modern corporations and other large enterprises. The style is reminiscent of other writers in this genre, for example
C. Northcote ParkinsonCyril Northcote Parkinson was a British naval historian and author of some sixty books, the most famous of which was his bestseller Parkinson's Law, which led him to be also considered as an important scholar within the field of public administration.-Early life and education:The youngest son of...
.
Prior to his success as a writer/cartoonist, Adams worked closely with
telecommunicationTelecommunication is transmission over a distance for the purpose of communication. In earlier times, this may have involved the use of smoke signals, drums, semaphore, flags or heliograph. In modern times, telecommunication typically involves the use of electronic devices such as the telephone,...
s
engineerEngineers are concerned with developing economical and safe solutions to practical problems, by applying mathematics and scientific knowledge while considering technical constraints. The term is derived from the Latin root "ingenium," meaning "cleverness"...
s at
Crocker National BankCrocker National Bank was a United States bank headquartered in San Francisco, California. It was acquired by and merged into Wells Fargo Bank in 1986.-History:The bank traces its history to the Woolworth National Bank in San Francisco...
as a software developer in San Francisco between 1979 and 1986, and at
Pacific BellThe Pacific Telephone & Telegraph Company was the name of the Bell System's telephone operations in California. It gained in size by acquiring smaller telephone companies along the Pacific coast, such as Sunset Telephone & Telegraph in 1917...
between 1986 and June 1995, and draws on their personalities for those of his
DilbertDilbert is an American comic strip written and drawn by Scott Adams. Dilbert is known for its satirical office humor about a white-collar, micromanaged office featuring the engineer Dilbert as the title character...
characters. Adams first published Dilbert in 1989, while still employed at Pacific Bell.
He is also the CEO of Scott Adams Foods, Inc., makers of the
DilberitoThe Dilberito is a vegan microwave burrito produced by Scott Adams Foods, Inc. and named after the comic strip character Dilbert....
& Protein Chef, and a co-owner of Stacey's Café in
Pleasanton, CaliforniaPleasanton is a city in Alameda County,California, incorporated in 1894. It is a major suburb in the San Francisco Bay Area located about east of Oakland, and 6 miles west of Livermore. The population in July 2007: 66,544 at the 2000 census...
. Much of his interest in the food business comes from the fact that he is a vegetarian.
Stephan PastisStephan Thomas Pastis is the creator of the comic strip Pearls Before Swine.-Background:...
, creator of
Pearls Before SwinePearls Before Swine is an American comic strip written and illustrated by Stephan Pastis, formerly a lawyer in San Francisco, California. It is Pastis' fifth attempt to syndicate a comic strip, the first four including Rat, The Infirm, and Bradbury Road. It chronicles the daily lives of four...
, credits Adams for launching his career as a
cartoonistA cartoonist is a person who specializes in drawing cartoons. Traditionally much of this work was, and still is, humorous, and is intended primarily for entertainment purposes...
.
In 1997, at the invitation of
LogitechLogitech International S.A. , headquartered in Romanel-sur-Morges, Switzerland, is the holding company for Logitech Group, a Swiss peripheral-device maker. Logitech makes peripheral devices for PCs, including keyboards, mice, game controllers and webcams...
CEO
Pierluigi ZappacostaPierluigi Zappacosta is a Venture Partner with Noventi and Vice President of Business Development at Sierra Sciences....
, Adams, wearing a wig and false mustache, successfully impersonated a management consultant and tricked Logitech managers into adopting a
mission statementA mission statement is a formal short written statement of the purpose of a company or organization. The mission statement should guide the actions of the organization, spell out its overall goal, provide a sense of direction, and guide decision-making...
that Adams described as "so impossibly complicated that it has no real context whatsoever."
Adams is an avid fan of the
science fictionScience fiction is a genre of fiction. It differs from fantasy in that, within the context of the story, its imaginary elements are largely possible within scientifically-established or scientifically-postulated laws of nature...
TV series
Babylon 5Babylon 5 is an American science fiction television series created, produced and largely written by J. Michael Straczynski. The show centers on the Babylon 5 space station: a focal point for politics, diplomacy, and conflict during the years 2257–2262...
. He appeared in the season 4 episode "
Moments of Transition"Moments of Transition" is an episode from the fourth season of the science-fiction television series Babylon 5.-Synopsis:Delenn ends the Minbari civil war. Lyta tries to find work as a telepath, but finds her rogue status makes it difficult to get a paying job.The Minbari civil war is finally over...
" as a character named "Mr. Adams," who hires former head of security
Michael Garibaldi...
to locate his megalomaniacal
dogDogbert is Dilbert's anthropomorphic pet dog from the Dilbert comic strip, and has been said by creator Scott Adams as being based on, if not a member of, the beagle breed. He is a megalomaniac; one of his dreams is to conquer the world and enslave all humans, and he has achieved this status...
and
catCatbert is a fictional cat, and the "evil director of human resources" in the Dilbert comic strip. As with Ratbert, he was not a planned regular. In his first appearance from September 12, 1994 to September 16, 1994, he attacked Ratbert and rebooted Dilbert's computer before Dogbert finally kicked...
. He also had a cameo in a third-season episode of
NewsRadioNewsRadio is an American television sitcom. The show was created by executive producer Paul Simms, and was taped in front of a studio audience at CBS Studio Center. Some episodes were taped at Sunset Gower Studios...
, in which the character Matthew Brock, played by
Andy DickAndrew R. "Andy" Dick is an American comedian, actor, musician and TV/film producer.-Early life:Dick was born in Charleston, South Carolina and was adopted at birth by Sue and Allen Dick, a naval officer. As a child, he lived in Connecticut, Pennsylvania, New York, and Yugoslavia...
, becomes an obsessed Dilbert fan. In the episode Review, Adams is credited as "Guy in line behind Dave and Joe in first scene".
He is a member of the International Academy of Digital Arts and Science.
Publications
- Dilbert newsletter (since 1994)
- Build A Better Life By Stealing Office Supplies (1994)
- Dogbert's Clues for the Clueless
Clues For The Clueless is the sequel to Dogbert's Build A Better Life By Stealing Office Supplies. Over the course of 15 chapters, Dogbert provides a twisted look at how to be polite. It features an introduction done by Scott Adams under the alias of Dogbert. The book retails at £5.99 in the UK...
(1993)
- The Dilbert Principle
The Dilbert Principle refers to a 1990s satirical observation by Dilbert cartoonist Scott Adams stating that companies tend to systematically promote their least-competent employees to management , in order to limit the amount of damage they're capable of doing...
(1996)
- Dogbert's Top Secret Management Handbook
Dogbert’s Top Secret Management Handbook is the second Dilbert business book by Scott Adams, published in 1997. Written from the point of view of his unscrupulous alter-ego, Dogbert, it complemented The Dilbert Principle by analyzing the stupidities and inadequacies of 1990s management from a...
(1996)
- The Dilbert Future
The Dilbert Future is a book published by Scott Adams as a satire of humanity that breaks the net motivations of humanity down into stupidity, selfishness, and "horniness", and presents various ideas for profiting from human nature...
(1997)
- The Joy of Work
The Joy of Work by Scott Adams is a two-part book, the first offering recommendations as to how office workers can find happiness at their cubicle desks and the second sharing Adams' formula for creating humor, based on his experience penning the Dilbert comic strip.-Synopsis:The first part of the...
(1998)
- God's Debris
God's Debris: A Thought Experiment is a 2001 novella by Dilbert creator Scott Adams.God's Debris espouses a philosophy based on the idea that the simplest explanation tends to be the best...
(2001)
- Dilbert and the Way of the Weasel
Dilbert and the Way of the Weasel is a satirical Dilbert book written by Scott Adams. It was originally published in 2002.-Premise:The chief premise of the book is that everyday actions of humanity are neither consistently honest nor criminal, but rather weasel...
(2002)
- The Religion War
The Religion War is a 2004 novel by Dilbert creator Scott Adams, and the sequel to his novella God's Debris. This book takes place right before the last chapter of that book.-Plot summary:...
(2004)
- Stick to Drawing Comics, Monkey Brain!: Cartoonist Ignores Helpful Advice (2007)
Awards
Adams has received a great deal of recognition for his work, including the National Cartoonist Society Reuben Award and Newspaper Comic Strip Award for 1997 for his work on
Dilbert. He had also been climbing the Suntop Media &
European Foundation for Management DevelopmentThe European Foundation for Management Development is an international membership organization, based in Brussels, Belgium. As the largest in the world of its kind, the network covers over 650 member organizations from academia, business, public service and consultancy in 75 countries...
(EFMD) rankings of the 50 most influential management thinkers placing 31st in 2001, 27th in 2003, and 12th in 2005,, but fell to 21st in 2007.
He received the
NCTE George Orwell Award for Distinguished Contribution to Honesty and Clarity in Public LanguageThe NCTE George Orwell Award for Distinguished Contribution to Honesty and Clarity in Public Language , established in 1975 and given by the National Council of Teachers of English Public Language Awards Committee, recognizes writers who have made outstanding contributions to the critical analysis...
for his participation in "Mission Impertinent" (
San Jose Mercury News West MagazineSan Jose Mercury News West Magazine, also referred to as West and West Magazine, is a Sunday magazine published by San Jose Mercury News. Jeffrey Klein served as the magazine's editor-in-chief in 1993, and left that year to become editor-in-chief of Mother Jones. He was replaced by Mercury News...
, November 16, 1997).
Coined phrases
Adams has coined or popularized words and phrases over the years, such as:
- BOCTAOE: "But Of Course There Are Obvious Exceptions"
- PHB: "Pointy-Haired Boss
The Pointy-Haired Boss is Dilbert's boss in the Dilbert comic strip. He is notable for his micromanagement, gross incompetence and unawareness of his surroundings, yet somehow retains power in the workplace...
"
- YSLE: "You Stupid Lemon-Eater!"
- Bungee Boss
- Confusopoly
- Cow-orker
- The Dilbert Principle
The Dilbert Principle refers to a 1990s satirical observation by Dilbert cartoonist Scott Adams stating that companies tend to systematically promote their least-competent employees to management , in order to limit the amount of damage they're capable of doing...
- Dilbertian
- Elbonian
- Frooglepoopillion
- Floopuary
- Induhvidual
- Philosotainment
- Powerpoint Poisoning
- Rat Dance
- Splendsmartiful
- Shitundfood
- Weasonable Doubt
- Nerdvana
- Qualicide
- Moist Robots
- QWERTYitis
"Cow-orker" was a pre-existing word from
UsenetUsenet, a portmanteau of "user" and "network" , is a worldwide distributed Internet discussion system. It evolved from the general purpose UUCP architecture of the same name....
that Adams popularized through his newsletter. Similarly, "Induhvidual" gained popularity through the newsletter, though it was coined by a reader.
External links