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> We want some kind of decisive, basically tech bro, alpha to come in and boss people around without any context Who exactly wants this? Neither Tim Cook, Sund

by tziki 5y ago

> We want some kind of decisive, basically tech bro, alpha to come in and boss people around without any context Who exactly wants this? Neither Tim Cook, Sundar Pichai nor Zuckerberg fit this description. The vast majority of tech leaders seem like consensus builders, as opposed to this "alpha leader" trope.

Nasrudith 5y ago
Theranos investors? Given how taken they were by Holmes's affected deep voice and piled money in without so much as asking some biology professors about the limits of small blood samples. The fact that even the most assertive tech leaders are more "chair throwing tantrum incident" at most may be part of their aggro. "Normal people" get irrationally pissed off at things not meeting their prejudices and preconceptions. In this case the lack of "alpha bro" at the top. They cannot imagine a lack of this as seen in the shibboleth of the clueless "techbro" perojative. You don't see vandalism for decades saying "Wall street go home!" in the Bronx in the face of gentrification even though the rough consensus is that Wall Street is a bunch of priveledged douchebags.
shard 5y ago
Hard to get a grip on exactly what proportion of tech leaders are consensus builders versus alpha tech bros, but there is a trope of the highly opinionated leaders who rules tyrant-like, for example Steve Jobs, Jeff Bezos, Bill Gates, Steve Ballmer.
- ObserverNeutral 5y ago
  Bill Gates is undefeated when the DOJ isn't summoned up. Except for Google.
- tziki 5y ago
  Gates definitely doesn't come across as tyrant-like, and quick googling suggests he's participative as a leader.
  - shard 5y ago
    Some accounts of Bill Gates: Allen writes in Idea Man that Gates “thrived on conflict” and “would demean people and force them to defend their positions.” https://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/us_850292 https://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/us_850292 Gates was famously the office bully. He dressed down employees in public, hurled sarcasm at rivals, and would reportedly troll around Microsoft's parking lots on weekends to see which employees were working overtime. https://www.gq.com/story/young-bill-gates-was-an-angry-office-bully https://www.gq.com/story/young-bill-gates-was-an-angry-offic...
jchrisa 5y ago
Big companies that have reached sustainability require consensus. Startups are basically moon-shots based on hopefully achieving product/market fit. For that (as a VC managing a portfolio) you need a CEO who's willing to stay the course. More: https://www.ribbonfarm.com/2017/11/09/ceos-dont-steer/ https://www.ribbonfarm.com/2017/11/09/ceos-dont-steer/

by tziki 5y ago

Nasrudith 5y ago

Theranos investors? Given how taken they were by Holmes's affected deep voice and piled money in without so much as asking some biology professors about the limits of small blood samples. The fact that even the most assertive tech leaders are more "chair throwing tantrum incident" at most may be part of their aggro. "Normal people" get irrationally pissed off at things not meeting their prejudices and preconceptions. In this case the lack of "alpha bro" at the top. They cannot imagine a lack of this as seen in the shibboleth of the clueless "techbro" perojative. You don't see vandalism for decades saying "Wall street go home!" in the Bronx in the face of gentrification even though the rough consensus is that Wall Street is a bunch of priveledged douchebags.

shard 5y ago

Hard to get a grip on exactly what proportion of tech leaders are consensus builders versus alpha tech bros, but there is a trope of the highly opinionated leaders who rules tyrant-like, for example Steve Jobs, Jeff Bezos, Bill Gates, Steve Ballmer.

ObserverNeutral 5y ago
Bill Gates is undefeated when the DOJ isn't summoned up. Except for Google.
tziki 5y ago
Gates definitely doesn't come across as tyrant-like, and quick googling suggests he's participative as a leader.
- shard 5y ago
  Some accounts of Bill Gates: Allen writes in Idea Man that Gates “thrived on conflict” and “would demean people and force them to defend their positions.” https://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/us_850292 https://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/us_850292 Gates was famously the office bully. He dressed down employees in public, hurled sarcasm at rivals, and would reportedly troll around Microsoft's parking lots on weekends to see which employees were working overtime. https://www.gq.com/story/young-bill-gates-was-an-angry-office-bully https://www.gq.com/story/young-bill-gates-was-an-angry-offic...

jchrisa 5y ago

Big companies that have reached sustainability require consensus. Startups are basically moon-shots based on hopefully achieving product/market fit. For that (as a VC managing a portfolio) you need a CEO who's willing to stay the course. More: https://www.ribbonfarm.com/2017/11/09/ceos-dont-steer/ https://www.ribbonfarm.com/2017/11/09/ceos-dont-steer/