4 ms·

It sort of confirmed other things I've read; Jobs was really a dick at times.

by adamc 8y ago

girvo 8y ago
From what I’ve read, and even the biography, he was a dick pretty much all the time. But the brilliance that was (rightly or wrongly, I pass no judgement other than I lean towards the former) assigned to him meant people ignored it for the most part. Fascinating really.
ubermonkey 8y ago
My suspicion is that it's nearly impossible to find anybody with the kind of business success Jobs had that ISN'T a dick at least a good chunk of the time. Gates was famously so, at least when he was leading MSFT. Ballmer, moreso. Ellison is a well known asshole. Etc. It's especially true of founders, I reckon, because through grit and luck they find themselves atop a large heap of money and power, and it's very easy to forget how much of their success was due to luck -- and very easy to believe that it was all due to how exceptional and smart and visionary they were, or whatever. So, yeah, probably a dick. Probably not somebody with a lot of close friends. I mean, would YOU be friends with a guy who was denying his own child like that?
- resiros 8y ago
  Being a dick in a professional setting is quite different from being it in a personal setting. I think it is okay to be ruthless in business, on the other hand, with your own daughter, that is something different.
  - threatofrain 8y ago
    I scarcely imagine that a temperate man shows up to work and dials up the asshole to be successful, then dials it back down when he gets home. Moreso, I would imagine your personality follows you where you go, and sometimes by coincidence your personality is good for business.
    - deleted 8y ago
      [deleted]
- bb101 8y ago
  Sadly, your suspicion seems to be supported by even more anecdotal evidence. From the Economist: "While [Elon Musk danced] with his first wife on their wedding day, he told her, “I am the alpha in this relationship.” [1] [1] https://www.economist.com/business-books-quarterly/2015/07/02/fortune-favours-the-brave https://www.economist.com/business-books-quarterly/2015/07/0...

It sort of confirmed other things I've read; Jobs was really a dick at times.

by adamc 8y ago

It sort of confirmed other things I've read; Jobs was really a dick at times.

From what I’ve read, and even the biography, he was a dick pretty much all the time. But the brilliance that was (rightly or wrongly, I pass no judgement other than I lean towards the former) assigned to him meant people ignored it for the most part. Fascinating really.

ubermonkey 8y ago

My suspicion is that it's nearly impossible to find anybody with the kind of business success Jobs had that ISN'T a dick at least a good chunk of the time. Gates was famously so, at least when he was leading MSFT. Ballmer, moreso. Ellison is a well known asshole. Etc. It's especially true of founders, I reckon, because through grit and luck they find themselves atop a large heap of money and power, and it's very easy to forget how much of their success was due to luck -- and very easy to believe that it was all due to how exceptional and smart and visionary they were, or whatever. So, yeah, probably a dick. Probably not somebody with a lot of close friends. I mean, would YOU be friends with a guy who was denying his own child like that?

resiros 8y ago
Being a dick in a professional setting is quite different from being it in a personal setting. I think it is okay to be ruthless in business, on the other hand, with your own daughter, that is something different.
- threatofrain 8y ago
  I scarcely imagine that a temperate man shows up to work and dials up the asshole to be successful, then dials it back down when he gets home. Moreso, I would imagine your personality follows you where you go, and sometimes by coincidence your personality is good for business.
  - deleted 8y ago
    [deleted]
bb101 8y ago
Sadly, your suspicion seems to be supported by even more anecdotal evidence. From the Economist: "While [Elon Musk danced] with his first wife on their wedding day, he told her, “I am the alpha in this relationship.” [1] [1] https://www.economist.com/business-books-quarterly/2015/07/02/fortune-favours-the-brave https://www.economist.com/business-books-quarterly/2015/07/0...