> I don’t know why you’d think “being interested in nerdy stuff like computers” would somehow translate into virtuous behavior.

Because doing something you're genuinely interested is virtuous relative to doing something for personal/reputational gain or due to other social pressures.

> some people got rich and powerful and their real personalities showed through

This could not be more deluded - the negative equivalent of the hustle culture myth: anyone can become a selfish asshole if they work hard enough. The idea that every person who's ever taken an academic interest in tech is just another William Gates III waiting to happen is a very weird way of looking at nerd culture.