Walter O'Brien

This article is about the CEO of Scorpion Computer Services and executive producer of the Scorpion TV series. For the Massachusetts candidate, see Walter A. O'Brien.
Walter O’Brien

Walter O'Brien (left) with Nicholas Wootton at the 2014 San Diego Comic-Con International Scorpion panel
Born February 24, 1975
County Wexford, Ireland
Residence Los Angeles, California
Nationality Irish
Alma mater
Occupation CEO of Scorpion Computer Services
Known for
  • Founder and CEO of Scorpion Computer Services
  • Inspiration for the television series Scorpion
Television Scorpion

Walter O'Brien (born February 24, 1975[1]) is an Irish businessman who is the founder and CEO of Scorpion Computer Services. He is also the inspiration for and executive producer of the 2014 CBS television series Scorpion.[2][3] The authenticity of his claims has been the subject of speculation in the press.[4][5][6]

Early life

Childhood and education

Walter O'Brien was born to Maurice and Anne O'Brien in 1975 in Clonroche, Ireland.[5] The second of five children, he grew up on a farm.[1] O'Brien attended St. Patrick's National School in Clonroche for elementary education, until his family moved to Rosshaven, when he was 13 years old. There he attended St. Mary's Christian Brothers School (CBS) in Enniscorthy.[1]

O’Brien said he scored a 197[1] on an IQ test administered by one of his teachers in primary school[5][7] but he did not keep the paperwork.[6] This is higher than Albert Einstein's IQ[1] and would make him the fourth highest IQ ever recorded.[8] O'Brien is missing from Top 10 IQ lists, because he has not obtained an official Mensa-endorsed test. Susan Karlin from Fast Company said the lack of official testing is suspicious, given that his IQ score is part of how he is marketed.[6] Articles in TechDirt and The Irish Times said it didn't mean he was smarter than other adults, since IQ scores are scaled based on age.[4][5]

After completing his Leaving Certificate at St Kieran's College in Kilkenny, O’Brien attended the University of Sussex, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in computer science and artificial intelligence.[1] His Leaving Certificate examination results were above-average, though he failed Irish, he says due to a lack of interest.[1][5]

Early interest in computers

According to The New Ross Standard, a local paper in O'Brien's home county, his interest in computers began when his primary school started offering a computer course. It goes on to say O'Brien's father gave him livestock as payment for doing chores on the farm, which he sold in order to purchase an Amstrad personal computer[1] at age nine.[2] According to IrishCentral, his parents bought him a computer at age 12, and that is when his interest in computers started.[9]

Some newspapers reported that when O'Brien was thirteen years old, he hacked into NASA under the pseudonym "Scorpion".[10] Once discovered, he allegedly returned home from school to find his house surrounded by Homeland Security agents. He told them he would help show them vulnerabilities in their network in exchange for not getting into trouble.[1][3] According to O'Brien, he had an extradition document ready in his backpack, but he couldn't provide more details on the deal that was made due to non-disclosure agreements.[5] According to Telestar, there is no evidence of a security breach around this time.[10] IrishCentral said the incident is unconfirmed. Techdirt also pointed out that Homeland Security did not exist at the time of the alleged hack.[4]

O'Brien also said as a teenager he worked with Irish banks to install software and fix technical issues[5] and that he participated in the 1993 International Olympiad in Informatics computer coding competition on behalf of Ireland.[6][9] This has been contested, because he was not listed as one of the contestants in the event's marketing material.[6] O'Brien said this was because he was a last-minute entrant, after the event's marketing materials were already published. An archived version of a local newspaper published after the event did list him as a participant. O'Brien said he ranked sixth place at the competition, though the university from which he graduated lists his team as finishing in 90th place.[6]

Scorpion and Boston Marathon

According to IrishCentral, O'Brien started Scorpion Computer services at age 13 in 1988 and the company primarily provides international security services.[9] According to The Irish Times, he started the company in the late 1990s, after graduating college and moving to the United States.[2] The New Ross Standard said it started as a tutoring service, but later expanded into security and risk management,[1] while The Irish Times said it started as an artificial intelligence company.[2] O'Brien said it was a think tank of "high IQ individuals."[3]

A month after the Boston Marathon Bombing, Fox 11 LA-KTTV (Los Angeles) reported that O'Brien's company developed video analysis software similar to that used by the FBI to catch the bombers.[11] A year later, O'Brien told WBZ-TV News (CBS Boston) he used video forensics to process hundreds of hours of video and that this "helped" the FBI catch the bombers[12] and some press reports stated that he actually did help the FBI or was directly responsible for catching them.[13] TechDirt said it was one of many "bogus" claims by O'Brien.[4] Asher Langton, a security intelligence engineer, said O'Brien had offered conflicting narratives of his alleged contributions to catching the bombers and that the facial recognition software O'Brien was reported to have used wasn't plausible. O'Brien said that he couldn't explain more due to non-disclosure agreements."[6]

According to Fast Company, he created a division of Scorpion called Concierge Up "to solve non-technical problems using technical means."[14] According to the Irish Daily Mail, it provides "funded wishes".[15] O'Brien said he also matches geniuses with tutors that teach them how to interact with other people, then sends them to work for businesses and governments.[5]

CBS show

In September 2014, CBS premiered the first season of drama series Scorpion, which is based on O’Brien’s life experiences.[2][3] O’Brien serves as an executive producer for the series,[3] and regularly contributes to story development.[8] In his role in story development, O’Brien consults with series writers on technical aspects of the plot, including how he would solve problems presented in the show’s scripts.[8] O'Brien said he introduced the idea for the series to executive producer Scooter Braun as a way to attract more genuises to his company. However, Braun said he was the one who found O'Brien, as opposed to the other way around.[6]

CBS ordered a full season of Scorpion in October 2014 and it was renewed for a second season.[16]

Accuracy of biography debate

In late 2014, online discussions began in social media about whether O'Brien's claimed accomplishments, widely reported in the media, were inconsistent with online evidence. Online activism led CNET, Techdirt, and Fast Company to re-evaluate his claims.[6] Reporting on an interview with O'Brien The Irish Times said that "it is impossible to substantiate some claims."[5] In October 2014, Susan Karlin of Fast Company magazine wrote an article that addressed some of the skepticism over O’Brien’s biography. Inthe interview, O'Brien answered some of Karlin's questions, did not respond to others, and declined to answer questions raised by people in the computer security industry stating that he was bound by non-disclosure agreements.[6]

Some community operated wikis, websites, and directories said O'Brien's company was much smaller than the 2,600 employees and $1.3 billion in revenues stated by O'Brien. One of them described Scorpion Computer Services Inc as a one employee corporation with an annual revenue of $66,000 while another described it as a $1-$10 million company with 1-15 employees[6] Karlin points out that these websites are not reliable, while O'Brien states most of the company's workers are independent contractors who work in virtual offices.[6]

Personal

O'Brien has lived in Los Angeles, California for fifteen years.[13] In 2001,[13] O'Brien was awarded an E11 visa to immigrate to the United States. An E11 is offered to people that have "extraordinary abilities" and are considered a national asset.[13]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 1.9 Keegan, Niamh (23 August 2014). "The Scorpion". New Ross Standard. Retrieved 26 September 2014.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Boyd, Brian (August 9, 2014). "Scorpion: How an Irish genius saved the world". The Irish Times. Retrieved 8 October 2014.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 Linh Bui (22 September 2014). "Real-Life Superhero Geniuses Inspire New CBS Show ‘Scorpion’". Baltimore: WJZ-TV. Retrieved 8 October 2014.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Masnick, Mike (25 September 2014). "Another Story of a 'Fake' Brilliant Inventor? Is 'Scorpion Walter O'Brien' a Real Computer Security Genius?". Techdirt. Retrieved 9 October 2014.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 5.6 5.7 5.8 Brian Boyd (4 October 2014). "Scorpion: Walter O'Brien on his life off-screen". The Irish Times. Retrieved 29 November 2014.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 6.6 6.7 6.8 6.9 6.10 6.11 Karlin, Susan (15 October 2014). "Hackers vs. Scorpion: Walter O’Brien Responds To Scrutiny Of Real-Life Claims Fueling TV’s 'Scorpion'". Fast Company. Retrieved 29 November 2014.
  7. ↑ Schwiff, Kathy (11 September 2014). "CBS Drama ‘Scorpion’ Takes Stories From Computer Genius’s Life, Work". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 11 November 2014.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Goldberg, Lesley (22 September 2014). "'Scorpion': What Happens When a Certified Genius Crashes the Writers Room?". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 29 November 2014.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 Hertz, Kayla (September 17, 2014). "Wexford-born genius Walter O’Brien chats about the new CBS show on his lif". IrishCentral. Retrieved April 14, 2015.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Thomas Januam (March 5, 2015). "Scorpion, M6 : l'histoire vraie de Walter O'Brien, le hacker qui a inspiré la série". Téléstar. Retrieved April 7, 2015.
  11. ↑ Susan Hirasuna. Fox 11 LA-KTTV 10:00 News. Boston Bombing Video Forensics on YouTube. June 2013
  12. ↑ Kathryn Hauser (October 6, 2014). "Real-Life ‘Scorpion’ Helped ID Boston Marathon Bombing Suspects". CBS Boston WBZ-TV. Retrieved April 30, 2015.
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 13.3 Kayla Hertz (September 17, 2014). "Wexford-born genius Walter O’Brien chats about the new CBS show on his life". Irish Central. Retrieved April 30, 2015.
  14. ↑ Karlin, Susan (October 1, 2014). "How the real hacker behind CBS's "Scorpion" made a show to grow his company and more hackers". Fast Company. Retrieved April 14, 2015.
  15. ↑ Catherine Fegan (16 August 2014). "Meet the Geeky Wexford farm boy who became the Sherlock Holmes of the computer age". Irish Daily Mail.
  16. ↑ Bucksbaum, Sydney (27 October 2014). "CBS Give Full-Season Orders to All 4 of Its New Drama Series: Scorpion, NCIS: New Orleans and More". E!. Retrieved 29 November 2014.

External links