> I think the bottom line is that some founders believe that you have to tolerate abusive personalities in order to hire the best. Based on anecdotal experienc

> I think the bottom line is that some founders believe that you have to tolerate abusive personalities in order to hire the best. Based on anecdotal experience I think this is quite true. It's almost like the dark side of the Taleb chapter that was on HN the other day...just as Taleb trusts the disheveled butcher-looking doctor more than the elegant and refined one because the fact that the unkempt one has made it this far without looking like a professional underscores his actual professional skill[0], it really seems to me that some founders/senior execs instinctively prefer hiring assholes, because assholes must be really good at what they do -- look at how far they've come despite being an asshole! [0]: https://medium.com/incerto/surgeons-should-notlook-like-surgeons-23b0e2cf6d52#.ps8sxy110 https://medium.com/incerto/surgeons-should-notlook-like-surg...