This essay needs refinement. The other comments have rightly pointed out some flaws (people more likely to be nice to PG, known prominent counterexamples, etc.)

This essay needs refinement. The other comments have rightly pointed out some flaws (people more likely to be nice to PG, known prominent counterexamples, etc.) I'd like to add a counterpoint. My own niche is nearly devoid of meanness. There are several participants offering products. They overlap, but none compete directly with each other. Customers typically use materials from multiple sources. I think this influences those of us in the niche. Being nice is rewarded more than being mean. Competitors tend to collaborate. I think this is a growing phenomenon. Unlike traditional business, the internet tends to create businesses without perfect substitutes. Cooperation becomes relatively more important than competition. Peter Thiel's argument about monopolies resonated with me for this reason. In this environment, niceness becomes relatively more useful, and meanness becomes relatively more harmful. The keyword being relatively. Where I think PG misses the mark is that there's still a lot of meanness. I think the interesting question to explore is whether there's less of it in the internet sector than in others. (There may or may not be. I don't know what other niches and offline niches are like.)