Scott Adams, the creator of the iconic comic strip "Dilbert", was born on June 8, 1957, in Windham, New York. As a young boy, he attempted to pursue a career in cartooning, entering various art contests, but met with little success. Despite this, he was chosen as valedictorian of his high school class, a feat he attributed to his classmates' inability to spell the word.
Adams went on to earn a bachelor's degree in economics from Hartwick College in Oneonta, New York, and later an MBA from the University of California at Berkeley in 1986. He worked at a San Francisco bank from 1979 to 1986, holding various dead-end jobs, including being held at gunpoint twice during his time as a bank teller.
In 1986, Adams joined Pacific Bell, where he worked in various engineering groups until June 1995. It was during his time at Pacific Bell that he began creating his comic strip, inspired by his doodlings during dull company meetings. The character of Dilbert, a bespectacled MIT graduate with no mouth and a flip-up tie, was born.
Dilbert was initially published in 1989 and quickly gained popularity, appearing in over 2,000 newspapers in more than 50 countries and translated into 19 languages. Adams continued to work at Pacific Bell for eight years after the comic strip's launch, partly for financial security and partly for relevant material.
In 1995, Adams was asked to leave Pacific Bell due to "budget constraints", but he continued to work on his comic strip, which became the first syndicated comic strip to go online. As of 2001, it was the most widely read syndicated comic on the Internet.
Adams has also launched a range of Dilbert-branded products, including desk calendars, T-shirts, and a short-lived animated TV show in 1999. He has written several best-selling books, including "Build a Better Life by Stealing Office Supplies", "The Dilbert Future", and "I'm Not Anti-Business, I'm Anti-Idiot".
In addition to his work on Dilbert, Adams is also a member of Mensa, an organization for people with high IQs. He is credited with being the first cartoonist to print his email address in his comic strip and has been recognized for his innovative approach to comic strip creation.
