I think what Bryan meant was that if it weren't for our tendency to conform, and to punish nonconformists, then progress would be faster. I agree.
Most people should conform, and most nonconformity should be punished. To me, the most likely outcome of reducing the overall human tendency to conform and to punish nonconformists is that more people join cults, refuse to pay their taxes, become terrorists... I think nerd culture has a tendency to fetishize nonconformity that isn't criticized often enough. Edit: Although it is criticized in Why Our Kind Can't Cooperate, which is good.
Here is a new post at EconLog in which Bryan Caplan discusses how signalling contributes to the status quo bias.