4 ms·

I will never understand the cult of personality that appears around people like Altman, Musk, or whoever the unicorn CEO of the month is. They are always, witho

I will never understand the cult of personality that appears around people like Altman, Musk, or whoever the unicorn CEO of the month is. They are always, without exception, smooth talking psychopaths. That might as well be the job description of being a CEO of a company startup with this kind of growth.

wnevets 3y ago
> Altman’s departure jeopardized an investment deal that would allow them to sell their stock back to OpenAI, cashing out equity without waiting for the company to go public. "Smooth talking psychopaths" can make you rich if you get in early enough and not left holding the bag.
- sanderjd 3y ago
  Sure, but you can remain self aware about what's going on. So many people seem to join the cult of personality, not just recognize the aligned incentives.
Racing0461 3y ago
Being a smooth talking steve jobs is valuable in an of itself. If you can sell your company to the public with an aura, that's worth more than CTO/CIO/CMO etc combined. Better to be a thomas edison than a tesla.
- mikeryan 3y ago
  My immediate thought on this comment was of was Steve Jobs but I’ve backed off a bit. The man seems to have been a bit of an asshole to some, the stories are numerous, but in some ways he seems different. I think mostly because he didn’t seem devious, or self serving, just blunt and his mission was to the company or product more so than to himself.
  - martythemaniak 3y ago
    Hi died relatively young and before the general tech backlash, which is why people look back at him fondly. Had he lived, he would've been taken down many notches. I mean, rich asshole who verbally abuses and berates his staff, upgrades his Benz every six months so he doesn't need a license plate like the plebs AND parks exclusively in the disabled spot? That was never gonna fly.
  - bredren 3y ago
    Steve’s overriding mission was to the customer. He used his own taste as a proxy for customer goals.
- bugglebeetle 3y ago
  > Better to be a thomas edison than a tesla A great example of why America is in social and political decline. The base nihilism of the con man figure is now the quintessential American aspiration.
  - jonathankoren 3y ago
    Truly, a man that died penniless while spouting rather fanciful and discredited claims of superweapons (earthquake machines, intercontinental death rays, for two) is clearly the man to emulate.
    - bugglebeetle 3y ago
      Truly, the psychopath torturing animals with live current in public is the man to emulate!
      - ChickeNES 3y ago
        Never happened, that's an urban legend
        deleted 3y ago
        [deleted]
        bugglebeetle 3y ago
        >Eventually, Edison’s team would kill 44 dogs, six calves, and two horses in their quest to discredit alternating current. https://www.discovermagazine.com/technology/the-cruel-animal-testing-behind-thomas-edisons-quest-to-show-dangers-of-ac https://www.discovermagazine.com/technology/the-cruel-animal...
        ChickeNES 3y ago
        Okay, I might have to mea culpa here, as I thought it was a reference to the infamous Topsy the elephant, which Edison was not involved with.
pixl97 3y ago
Why not add Putin, Trump, Mussolini, or any other number of leaders and historical figures? This is something a sizable portion of populations do. You may not do it yourself, but understand are people are going to behave like this and prepare accordingly.
- DeIlliad 3y ago
  We could add them. I didn't because I was keeping my statement within the context of the article focusing on a tech leader but sure, all of them fit the bill.
- sanderjd 3y ago
  Yep them too.
leobg 3y ago
In what sense does Altman belong in the same sentence as Musk? I’m completely puzzled.
- deleted 3y ago
  [deleted]
- alexey-salmin 3y ago
  Well as per above both are smooth talking psychopaths. However you're right that Altman is much poorer and should probably be listed in the second tier.
Zigurd 3y ago
One of these things is not like the other. Altman led OpenAI to an industry leading position and produced record results in product adoption. Even if that is over-praising him, Microsoft's fast and enormous investment in OpenAI was evidently closely linked to Altman. Just springing a surprise on Microsoft was dunderheaded enough to make it obvious that, whatever the board was doing, it was the opposite of what should have been done. In contrast, it is equally obvious Elon dragged $44B into the road and set it on fire.
- pyinstallwoes 3y ago
  How is it equally obvious Elon dragged $44B into the road and set it on fire? Are you sure you aren't speaking from a perspective of bias that already has a disdain towards Elon?
  - lolbase 3y ago
    Good point. Based on the latest internal valuation, Elon only destroyed $25b in the first year.
    - 93po 3y ago
      Internal valuations can predict market prices of currently private companies? That’s amazing, someone should go make billions off that
  - jonathankoren 3y ago
    Yes. Everything at X is going swimmingly well, and the statement that from the company that it lost half its valuation, and the owner publicly telling companies to stop advertising on it is actually 19 dimensional chessboxing. Geez, man. A contortionist would be envious of how you. https://www.theverge.com/2023/10/30/23938969/x-twitter-valuation-19-billion-employee-shares https://www.theverge.com/2023/10/30/23938969/x-twitter-valua...
    - pyinstallwoes 3y ago
sanderjd 3y ago
Agreed, I have the opposite visceral reaction; immediate and intense skepticism.
mastrsplyntr 3y ago
Musk is farthest from a smooth talking founder/ceo
z7 3y ago
The power of reason alone is generally insufficient to spur people into action. It's the impassioned, often irrational fervor that galvanizes movements and leads to significant change. Consider the impact of Erasmus, a paragon of rational thought, against that of Luther, a figure of intense passion and conviction. Initially, Erasmus garnered attention and respect, yet his logical approach failed to incite actionable change among the people. In stark contrast, Luther, with his fervent and somewhat radical beliefs, succeeded in mobilizing the masses.
deleted 3y ago
[deleted]

wnevets 3y ago

> Altman’s departure jeopardized an investment deal that would allow them to sell their stock back to OpenAI, cashing out equity without waiting for the company to go public. "Smooth talking psychopaths" can make you rich if you get in early enough and not left holding the bag.

sanderjd 3y ago
Sure, but you can remain self aware about what's going on. So many people seem to join the cult of personality, not just recognize the aligned incentives.

Racing0461 3y ago

Being a smooth talking steve jobs is valuable in an of itself. If you can sell your company to the public with an aura, that's worth more than CTO/CIO/CMO etc combined. Better to be a thomas edison than a tesla.

mikeryan 3y ago
My immediate thought on this comment was of was Steve Jobs but I’ve backed off a bit. The man seems to have been a bit of an asshole to some, the stories are numerous, but in some ways he seems different. I think mostly because he didn’t seem devious, or self serving, just blunt and his mission was to the company or product more so than to himself.
- martythemaniak 3y ago
  Hi died relatively young and before the general tech backlash, which is why people look back at him fondly. Had he lived, he would've been taken down many notches. I mean, rich asshole who verbally abuses and berates his staff, upgrades his Benz every six months so he doesn't need a license plate like the plebs AND parks exclusively in the disabled spot? That was never gonna fly.
- bredren 3y ago
  Steve’s overriding mission was to the customer. He used his own taste as a proxy for customer goals.
bugglebeetle 3y ago
> Better to be a thomas edison than a tesla A great example of why America is in social and political decline. The base nihilism of the con man figure is now the quintessential American aspiration.
- jonathankoren 3y ago
  Truly, a man that died penniless while spouting rather fanciful and discredited claims of superweapons (earthquake machines, intercontinental death rays, for two) is clearly the man to emulate.
  - bugglebeetle 3y ago
    Truly, the psychopath torturing animals with live current in public is the man to emulate!
    - ChickeNES 3y ago
      Never happened, that's an urban legend
      - deleted 3y ago
        [deleted]
      - bugglebeetle 3y ago
        >Eventually, Edison’s team would kill 44 dogs, six calves, and two horses in their quest to discredit alternating current. https://www.discovermagazine.com/technology/the-cruel-animal-testing-behind-thomas-edisons-quest-to-show-dangers-of-ac https://www.discovermagazine.com/technology/the-cruel-animal...
        ChickeNES 3y ago
        Okay, I might have to mea culpa here, as I thought it was a reference to the infamous Topsy the elephant, which Edison was not involved with.

pixl97 3y ago

Why not add Putin, Trump, Mussolini, or any other number of leaders and historical figures? This is something a sizable portion of populations do. You may not do it yourself, but understand are people are going to behave like this and prepare accordingly.

DeIlliad 3y ago
We could add them. I didn't because I was keeping my statement within the context of the article focusing on a tech leader but sure, all of them fit the bill.
sanderjd 3y ago
Yep them too.

leobg 3y ago

In what sense does Altman belong in the same sentence as Musk? I’m completely puzzled.

deleted 3y ago
[deleted]
alexey-salmin 3y ago
Well as per above both are smooth talking psychopaths. However you're right that Altman is much poorer and should probably be listed in the second tier.

Zigurd 3y ago

One of these things is not like the other. Altman led OpenAI to an industry leading position and produced record results in product adoption. Even if that is over-praising him, Microsoft's fast and enormous investment in OpenAI was evidently closely linked to Altman. Just springing a surprise on Microsoft was dunderheaded enough to make it obvious that, whatever the board was doing, it was the opposite of what should have been done. In contrast, it is equally obvious Elon dragged $44B into the road and set it on fire.

pyinstallwoes 3y ago
How is it equally obvious Elon dragged $44B into the road and set it on fire? Are you sure you aren't speaking from a perspective of bias that already has a disdain towards Elon?
- lolbase 3y ago
  Good point. Based on the latest internal valuation, Elon only destroyed $25b in the first year.
  - 93po 3y ago
    Internal valuations can predict market prices of currently private companies? That’s amazing, someone should go make billions off that
- jonathankoren 3y ago
  Yes. Everything at X is going swimmingly well, and the statement that from the company that it lost half its valuation, and the owner publicly telling companies to stop advertising on it is actually 19 dimensional chessboxing. Geez, man. A contortionist would be envious of how you. https://www.theverge.com/2023/10/30/23938969/x-twitter-valuation-19-billion-employee-shares https://www.theverge.com/2023/10/30/23938969/x-twitter-valua...
  - pyinstallwoes 3y ago

sanderjd 3y ago

Agreed, I have the opposite visceral reaction; immediate and intense skepticism.

mastrsplyntr 3y ago

Musk is farthest from a smooth talking founder/ceo

z7 3y ago

The power of reason alone is generally insufficient to spur people into action. It's the impassioned, often irrational fervor that galvanizes movements and leads to significant change. Consider the impact of Erasmus, a paragon of rational thought, against that of Luther, a figure of intense passion and conviction. Initially, Erasmus garnered attention and respect, yet his logical approach failed to incite actionable change among the people. In stark contrast, Luther, with his fervent and somewhat radical beliefs, succeeded in mobilizing the masses.

deleted 3y ago

[deleted]