German business software company SAP has announced an effort to actively recruit and hire people with autism. The move comes after a successful pilot project in India in which SAP hired computer programmers who have autism, a developmental disorder that, among other things, can impair a person’s ability to interact with others.

SAP, which says it wants autistic employees to make up 1 percent of its global workforce by 2020, is hoping other companies follow its lead.

“Only by employing people who think differently and spark innovation will SAP be prepared to handle the challenges of the 21st Century,” said SAP executive Luisa Delgado.

The BBC’s technology reporter Mark Gregory joins Marketplace Morning Report host David Brancaccio to discuss.