This reminds me of a story my mom told me when she worked for Bell Labs/AT&T, especially your #1 point.
Back in the '80s, you had to be dressed appropriately for work; suits, ties, well groomed, etc. However, there were a couple guys who were the antithesis of that groove; jeans, t-shirts, long hair, beards…generally unkempt. They were the in-house sages and wizards who knew how to do things no other programmer could, so the company did not dare fire or try to discipline these guys. They were far too invaluable vis-à-vis keeping things afloat and moving steadily, so the company turned a blind eye to such indiscretions.
