It is pretty funny that the author seems to conflate 'nerd' with 'successful', because before the big tech takeover, that equivalency would have seemed absurd.

I'd say that 'nerds' haven't changed, but what makes one successful has.

There will always be people who latch onto ideas and thoughts more than social hierarchy. With the rise of complexity required during the monetization of the internet, those who were good with ideas (in the form of code especially) were more likely to be successful financially than in the past.

The times have changed, not the group of people.