I was in an industrial laboratory because academia found me unsuitable.

"James Gleick author of the best-selling book Chaos: Making a New Science explains further:

Chris Anderson curator of TED conferences described Mandelbrot as "an icon who changed how we see the world". He was helped by Rabbi David Feuerwerker the Rabbi of Brive-la-Gaillarde to continue his studies.

He said that things typically considered to be "rough" a "mess" or "chaotic" like clouds or shorelines actually had a "degree of order". S. receiving a masters degree in aeronautics from Caltech.