You Don't Have To Be A Jerk

Success isn't dependent on being a brute

July 17, 2025

“Some talented people are jerks, and this sometimes makes it seem to the inexperienced that being a jerk is part of being talented. It isn’t; being talented is merely how they get away with it” -Paul Graham

This should be labeled as the “Steve Jobs effect”. No one is seen with rosier glasses than Jobs, and to be fair, he probably earned it. There are few people who have influenced more of modern life, business, and culture than Steve. He’s been gone for almost 15 years and his influence still reverberates throughout Silicon Valley.

He also was undeniably a brute of a man. For every awe-inspiring story you read about him, I promise there is an equally malicious one. This isn’t meant to be a criticism of his character, it’s a larger critique on how we learn from others.

With Jobs, we intertwine his genius and temper. If you’re going to be the next visionary, you better wear a black turtle neck and obsess about every inch of your product’s design. Also, whenever possible, publicly humiliate your employees. Don’t skip that second step, it’s critical. Ridiculous. And yet, many fall into this mindset.

The cruelty was Jobs’ baggage, not muse. Buy the turtleneck, work relentlessly to build something great, and don’t adopt someone else’s shortcomings. You already have your own flaws to work through.