what group of educated and innovative individuals have significant gains from adopting technology before most other users?
The group you’re looking for is called “early adopters” in the technology adoption lifecycle. They are typically well educated, relatively young, financially secure, and socially influential, and they like to experiment with new technologies before they are widely accepted. Early adopters often gain advantages such as higher productivity, status, or competitive edge by getting in early, even though they accept higher risks and costs in return.