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squigz06/16/20251 replyview on HN

I'm sure many of us have worked with that type of person who is very good at what they do, but also a massive asshole, and then people put up with it, because, well, that's just part of being a genius (as an aside: this sentiment is often applied to other disciplines too; see, Max Verstappen in F1 or Magnus Carlson in chess.)

I learned long ago that no matter how good they are, it's not worth it.


Replies

wat1000006/16/2025

Agreed. And one thing people seem to miss in this argument is that people can change, and generally will if they're in an environment that facilitates it. If a skilled programmer gets constant pushback because they act like a jerk, they'll probably figure out how to behave.