It’s funny people use Einstein as the archetype of a “lone genius” outside the “establishment” because he was “just a patent clerk.”

He was, at that time, also a PhD student at one of the most elite European universities, in active collaboration with the world’s top physicists.

Einstein even had help getting the patent office job from the father of his classmate, Marcel Grossman.

Later on, he got Grossman to help him learn differential geometry so he could develop his big new theory of gravity. Even then, the theory had a flaw; Emmy Noether fixed it.

The Einstein story would be a laughable example if you wanted to support a narrative about maverick rebel geniuses. But it’s a fine illustration of what can be accomplished when driven, creative people have access and support and are able to work collaboratively in a community.