> I wonder if the author was raised in a very different culture, either because he or his family was of foreign origin, or he was simply brought up with an atypical set of cultural cues and values. These can be very difficult to uproot, and may explain the sense of bumbling through professional situations that the article conveys.

This is what I thought as well. The author's perceptions of reality seem a bit "off" and even naive in some cases.