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Ask HN: Can a person considered an "asshole" succeed as an entrepreneur?
I am interested to know your thoughts on this question and how you formed your opinion on it. I foresee people citing Steve Jobs, but is there a certain point in one's trajectory before which being an asshole smothers one's chances of success? How much harder is it to succeed with those personality traits?
- rcfox 16y agohttp://www.stevejobsisanasshole.com/ http://www.stevejobsisanasshole.com/
- sjtgraham 16y agoJobs is an anomaly, no?
- SwellJoe 16y agoBill Gates is widely regarded as an asshole. Likewise Steve Ballmer. Counter-examples include Warren Buffett, who is regarded as a sweetheart. Larry and Sergey are famously nice, though they've apparently had their moments of being assholes. Sam Walton was nice to his people but ruthless in every other way.
- joelesler 16y agoHappens all the time. I would cite references, but that would preclude me from working for them ;)
- adrianwaj 16y agoAssholes and sociopaths succeed because they are very efficient at doing the things normal and nice people may find hard or wrong - but which nevertheless lead to business success. The overall issue I wonder about, is that if sociopaths wind up at the tops of corporate ladders, is the culture they set, while useful, in fact counterproductive.
- c00p3r 16y agoWhy not? Look at almost any construction site in an ex. Soviet block - bunch of assholes 'managing' a crowd of wage-workers from a ex Soviet republics. It is the most popular business in Russia nowadays. ^_^
- byoung2 16y agoThere are a lot of people who come across as assholes in the blogosphere, but could be quite the opposite in person. I think just having a reputation of being an asshole is enough to hurt your chances of working with some companies or people to some degree. Hopefully that is countered by a degree of tenacity and ambition "assholes" tend to have. A good example would be Jason Calcanis. I've never met him in person (though I did come within 5 feet of his office when I interviewed at Mahalo). He comes across as someone I would never want to have dealings with, business or otherwise. Good thing for him I'm just a small fish. But I would probably feel the same way if I were the CEO of a big company looking to buy Mahalo. But I bet Mr. Calcanis wouldn't want to be bought out anyway.
- asdfguj 16y agoAn asshole at the helm is an advantage. An excellent opportunity has arisen for two almost identical companies, A and B, but it involves ethics that would make a decent person uncomfortable. A is run by a decent person, and they skip the opportunity because it's the decent thing to do. B is run by an asshole, and they jump at the opportunity with glee, maybe even with a small chuckle at all the companies that would have passed up the opportunity on ethical grounds. Company B is now better off, because of, not despite, their asshole.