In the early 1950s, the academic discipline that we know today as computer science existed only as a loose association of institutions, individuals, and techniques. Although computers were widely used in this period as instruments of scientific production, their status as legitimate objects of scientific scrutiny had not yet been established. Computer programming in particular was considered by many to be a "black art, a private arcane matter." General programming principles were largely nonexistent "and the success of a program depended primarily on the programmer's private techniques and inventions." Those scientists and mathematicians who left "respectable" disciplines for the uncharted waters of computer science faced ridicule, self-doubt, and professional uncertainty. As the commercial computer industry expanded at the end of the decade, however, corporate interest in the science of computing increased significantly. Faced with a serious shortage of experienced, capable software developers, corporate employers turned to the universities as a source of qualified programmers. Academic researchers, unsure of what skills and knowledge were associated with computing expertise, began to develop a detailed psychological profile of the "ideal" computer scientist. Their profile included not only an aptitude for chess, music, and mathematics, but also specific personality characteristics ("uninterested in people," "highly detail oriented," etc.). Many of these early empirical studies turned out to be of questionable validity and were of almost no use to potential employers; nevertheless, many of the characteristics identified in these early personality profiles survived in the cultural lore of the industry and are still believed to be indicators of computer science ability. My paper explores the development of computer science as an academic discipline from the perspective of the corporate employers who encouraged it as a means of producing capable programming personnel. I explore the uneasy symbiotic relationship that existed between academic researchers and their more industrial-oriented colleagues. I focus on the use of psychological profiles and aptitudes as a means of identifying "scientific" and mathematical abilities and expertise.