[aleph_minus_one]

> There is some "loyal autodidact" unicorn who would be an ideal hire.

Let us understand "loyal" as "not very willing to switch jobs" (and not in the sense of "submissive"/"obedient").

(Loyal) autodidacts are still a nuisance to many bosses, because autodidacts, nearly by definition, often have a very strong tendency to "think autonomously". Thus they have a tendency to question a lot of (technological, architectural, ...) decisions - often for good reasons (and if they are experienced autodidacts they often also the background knowledge to support their reasoning). In other words: autodidacts are commonly less ingrained in "the way things are usually done", which can easily lead to conflicts with bosses "who love to boss around".