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The major flaw in this article is that it does not defined what constitutes "asshole" behavior. There is a difference, for example, between being vindictive to

The major flaw in this article is that it does not defined what constitutes "asshole" behavior. There is a difference, for example, between being vindictive towards others, and simply pushing people out of their comfort zone. The term "asshole" is so vague that it borders on useless.

commandlinefan 7y ago
Even if you could come up with a good definition, it would still be a silly assertion. He’s wrong: not being an asshole won’t make you more money. Being an asshole will also not make you more money. How nice or not nice you are to other people is almost entirely unrelated to how much money you make.
- illumanaughty 7y ago
  It's not a silly assertion, it's just that you've taken silly things away from this article. He's asserting that if you're too self interested / lack empathy you will hurt yourself in the long run.
  - s_y_n_t_a_x 7y ago
    It's ludicrous, not just silly. People are talking here like this is a study that can be verified. It is a random person ranting and completely subjective.
  - koheripbal 7y ago
    You just re-defined asshole in a way that suits your argument. The article doesn't define it that way.
- mcguire 7y ago
  Only if you can avoid subsequent deals with the same counterparties.
- eloff 7y ago
  I suggest you look up game theory. Not being an asshole is actually the winning strategy over the long term.
illumanaughty 7y ago
The term is intentionally vague because what constitutes an 'asshole' depends entirely on domain specific traits. It's very clear what this article is getting at.
atoav 7y ago
Because it depends. Certain things are generally asshole behaviour tho: - beeing unfriendly when someone has a bad day - going out of your way to make someones life harder - unemphatically beeing to hard to someone in the wrong moment - participiting in badmouthing or mobbing - pushing work and tasks that you should do onto others without explicitly talking about it - beeing snarky to people who know less than you Etc.
- s_y_n_t_a_x 7y ago
  Some might say being assertive is "being an asshole", but it's definitely a good business trait. This is all subjective and I'm surprised this article is even on here, it's just someone ranting.
dumbfoundded 7y ago
In the context of business, I would frame being an asshole as doing things that benefit yourself at the expense of others. Not being an asshole is doing things that benefit yourself and others. Let's say you sell some Saas tool. You're an asshole if you try to sell to anyone even if you think it won't help them. You're not an asshole if you truly believe your service will benefit your customers. You're an idiot if you're selling to someone and you can't tell the difference. I agree that my definition was certainly lacking but I hope this clarifies my intent to separate true assholery with simply being unpleasant to be around.
- koheripbal 7y ago
  What if they are acting in the interests of the company? Is that "others" or "themselves"?
  - dumbfoundded 7y ago
    It doesn't matter. The point is the same either way. If you screw other people to get value for yourself it's a short term play. From office politics to corporate agreements, you should avoid the temptation to fuck others for your gain. It will probably hurt you in the long term.
- refurb 7y ago
  benefit yourself at the expense of others. That’s way too general. If I’m a start up raising money from a VC and I counter with an offer of a lower percentage of equity for an investment, I’m doing something that benefits me at the expense of others. I would say you’d need to layer on top being deceitful or underhanded in your actions. The goal is that everyone enters into an arrangement with full knowledge of the terms.
rriepe 7y ago
I think it means "individual" most of the time.
ibeckermayer 7y ago
That is true in the way that PG uses it , but in this article its pretty clear what constitutes an "asshole" in business -- assholes are parasites. If you continually enter into deals that are exploitive of the other party, rather than mutually beneficial, you're an "asshole".

commandlinefan 7y ago

Even if you could come up with a good definition, it would still be a silly assertion. He’s wrong: not being an asshole won’t make you more money. Being an asshole will also not make you more money. How nice or not nice you are to other people is almost entirely unrelated to how much money you make.

illumanaughty 7y ago
It's not a silly assertion, it's just that you've taken silly things away from this article. He's asserting that if you're too self interested / lack empathy you will hurt yourself in the long run.
- s_y_n_t_a_x 7y ago
  It's ludicrous, not just silly. People are talking here like this is a study that can be verified. It is a random person ranting and completely subjective.
- koheripbal 7y ago
  You just re-defined asshole in a way that suits your argument. The article doesn't define it that way.
mcguire 7y ago
Only if you can avoid subsequent deals with the same counterparties.
eloff 7y ago
I suggest you look up game theory. Not being an asshole is actually the winning strategy over the long term.

illumanaughty 7y ago

The term is intentionally vague because what constitutes an 'asshole' depends entirely on domain specific traits. It's very clear what this article is getting at.

atoav 7y ago

Because it depends. Certain things are generally asshole behaviour tho: - beeing unfriendly when someone has a bad day - going out of your way to make someones life harder - unemphatically beeing to hard to someone in the wrong moment - participiting in badmouthing or mobbing - pushing work and tasks that you should do onto others without explicitly talking about it - beeing snarky to people who know less than you Etc.

s_y_n_t_a_x 7y ago
Some might say being assertive is "being an asshole", but it's definitely a good business trait. This is all subjective and I'm surprised this article is even on here, it's just someone ranting.

dumbfoundded 7y ago

In the context of business, I would frame being an asshole as doing things that benefit yourself at the expense of others. Not being an asshole is doing things that benefit yourself and others. Let's say you sell some Saas tool. You're an asshole if you try to sell to anyone even if you think it won't help them. You're not an asshole if you truly believe your service will benefit your customers. You're an idiot if you're selling to someone and you can't tell the difference. I agree that my definition was certainly lacking but I hope this clarifies my intent to separate true assholery with simply being unpleasant to be around.

koheripbal 7y ago
What if they are acting in the interests of the company? Is that "others" or "themselves"?
- dumbfoundded 7y ago
  It doesn't matter. The point is the same either way. If you screw other people to get value for yourself it's a short term play. From office politics to corporate agreements, you should avoid the temptation to fuck others for your gain. It will probably hurt you in the long term.
refurb 7y ago
benefit yourself at the expense of others. That’s way too general. If I’m a start up raising money from a VC and I counter with an offer of a lower percentage of equity for an investment, I’m doing something that benefits me at the expense of others. I would say you’d need to layer on top being deceitful or underhanded in your actions. The goal is that everyone enters into an arrangement with full knowledge of the terms.

rriepe 7y ago

I think it means "individual" most of the time.

ibeckermayer 7y ago

That is true in the way that PG uses it , but in this article its pretty clear what constitutes an "asshole" in business -- assholes are parasites. If you continually enter into deals that are exploitive of the other party, rather than mutually beneficial, you're an "asshole".