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Success breeds success, yes. And some people are truly more talented than others, yes. But it still leaves tremendous gaps for the stupid to occur. Consider th

by beat 11y ago

Success breeds success, yes. And some people are truly more talented than others, yes. But it still leaves tremendous gaps for the stupid to occur. Consider the recent story about how Elon Musk (arguably the most brilliant polymath of our era) chewed out an employee for missing a work function attend the birth of his child. That's appallingly stupid. That's pure blindness to instinct, cultural values, and compassion. There you go. Elon Musk, fscking idiot. More generally, a lot of people with brilliant technical skills have lousy social skills - social failings that can drag a team's effectiveness down as much as a technical idiot can.

jfarmer 11y ago
And more than that, I'd say. People who are truly brilliant in one area can often get away with being absolutely, irredeemably stupid in another because nothing in their environment ever forces them to deal with their stupidity. A brilliant engineer can have an amazing, world-changing technical career without ever realizing that he'd be 10x more effective with better social and leadership skills. Whether one sees that truth about themselves has much more to do with their personality and temperament than it does with their intelligence or expertise (IMO).
- Dewie3 11y ago
  Sounds about right. Everyone just bites their lips and puts up with that person's behaviour because they are afraid of losing her technical chops.
stevewepay 11y ago
I'm not a Musk-apologist, but he already denied that vehemently on Twitter. And the "source" of that statement is anonymous with little credibility. Seems like an easy case of libel.
- beat 11y ago
  Good point. Still, the story rings true for a reason... we've all encountered this kind of stupid before.
  - indrax 11y ago
    ...but when I hear that story, and you say "this kind of stupid" I think of "businessman stupid" and not "engineer stupid" It's about presenting dedication, not being correct.

by beat 11y ago

jfarmer 11y ago

And more than that, I'd say. People who are truly brilliant in one area can often get away with being absolutely, irredeemably stupid in another because nothing in their environment ever forces them to deal with their stupidity. A brilliant engineer can have an amazing, world-changing technical career without ever realizing that he'd be 10x more effective with better social and leadership skills. Whether one sees that truth about themselves has much more to do with their personality and temperament than it does with their intelligence or expertise (IMO).

Dewie3 11y ago
Sounds about right. Everyone just bites their lips and puts up with that person's behaviour because they are afraid of losing her technical chops.

stevewepay 11y ago

I'm not a Musk-apologist, but he already denied that vehemently on Twitter. And the "source" of that statement is anonymous with little credibility. Seems like an easy case of libel.

beat 11y ago
Good point. Still, the story rings true for a reason... we've all encountered this kind of stupid before.
- indrax 11y ago
  ...but when I hear that story, and you say "this kind of stupid" I think of "businessman stupid" and not "engineer stupid" It's about presenting dedication, not being correct.