There are three kinds of people: 1) those that understand and discover new things by themselves 2) those that understand when being taught by others, and are

There are three kinds of people: 1) those that understand and discover new things by themselves 2) those that understand when being taught by others, and are willing to learn 3) those that don't understand anything, ever - they are unwilling to learn and incapable of following other people's arguments Looks like your guy is a solid 3. He will remain bad. Basically, it boils down to: - how much do you hate your job because of him? Can you change the way you react to this circumstance, by mentally re-framing it in a way that makes it less annoying? - how easy is it to find a new gig? Of course I'm not telling you anything you don't know already. I personally hate working with 3s, and their presence is a sign that engineering excellence is not a focal point in the organization. Also, envy and resentment are potential issues that might ensue.