4 ms·

I don't really understand the headline question. Levandowski is brilliant, that's not really up for debate.

bdcravens 7y ago
The article is paywalled, so I may be off-base about the article's premise, but my take is that the "brilliant jerks" of our industry (first ones that come to mind are Steve Jobs and Linus Torvalds) not only get a pass because due to results, but that their personality is worth emulating. The idea I think is that we need to push back, and call being a jerk what it really is: a character flaw, not an asset.
- natalyarostova 7y ago
  Yes I agree with that. It's always too bad when people realize they can get away with being a jerk just because they're talented.
  - bdcravens 7y ago
    I believe rudeness and arrogance are easier than kindness and empathy. It can then be tempting to let what's easy become the template for our confirmation bias.
- deepsun 7y ago
  Sorry I probably missed something, but when was Linus Torvalds being a jerk? Sure, he showed finger to NVidia the company once, which was funny, but didn't harm anyone. His mails are also very straightforward and up to the point, without diluting it with compliments, contrary to current cultural code. I don't think skipping compliments equals to being a jerk. I'd look at actions, and I don't remember Linus did something nasty.
  - bdcravens 7y ago
    Linus himself admitted to it: "My flippant attacks in emails have been both unprofessional and uncalled for. Especially at times when I made it personal. In my quest for a better patch, this made sense to me. I know now this was not OK and I am truly sorry. The above is basically a long-winded way to get to the somewhat painful personal admission that hey, I need to change some of my behavior, and I want to apologize to the people that my personal behavior hurt and possibly drove away from kernel development entirely." https://lkml.org/lkml/2018/9/16/167 https://lkml.org/lkml/2018/9/16/167
    - deepsun 7y ago
      Thanks, I stand corrected.
  - bdcravens 7y ago
    Here's a good example of an email which is far more than to the point (he's actively insulting someone, and basically telling them they should die because of a technical decision): https://lkml.org/lkml/2012/7/6/495 https://lkml.org/lkml/2012/7/6/495

The article is paywalled, so I may be off-base about the article's premise, but my take is that the "brilliant jerks" of our industry (first ones that come to mind are Steve Jobs and Linus Torvalds) not only get a pass because due to results, but that their personality is worth emulating. The idea I think is that we need to push back, and call being a jerk what it really is: a character flaw, not an asset.

natalyarostova 7y ago
Yes I agree with that. It's always too bad when people realize they can get away with being a jerk just because they're talented.
- bdcravens 7y ago
  I believe rudeness and arrogance are easier than kindness and empathy. It can then be tempting to let what's easy become the template for our confirmation bias.
deepsun 7y ago
Sorry I probably missed something, but when was Linus Torvalds being a jerk? Sure, he showed finger to NVidia the company once, which was funny, but didn't harm anyone. His mails are also very straightforward and up to the point, without diluting it with compliments, contrary to current cultural code. I don't think skipping compliments equals to being a jerk. I'd look at actions, and I don't remember Linus did something nasty.
- bdcravens 7y ago
  Linus himself admitted to it: "My flippant attacks in emails have been both unprofessional and uncalled for. Especially at times when I made it personal. In my quest for a better patch, this made sense to me. I know now this was not OK and I am truly sorry. The above is basically a long-winded way to get to the somewhat painful personal admission that hey, I need to change some of my behavior, and I want to apologize to the people that my personal behavior hurt and possibly drove away from kernel development entirely." https://lkml.org/lkml/2018/9/16/167 https://lkml.org/lkml/2018/9/16/167
  - deepsun 7y ago
    Thanks, I stand corrected.
- bdcravens 7y ago
  Here's a good example of an email which is far more than to the point (he's actively insulting someone, and basically telling them they should die because of a technical decision): https://lkml.org/lkml/2012/7/6/495 https://lkml.org/lkml/2012/7/6/495