Recently on CNBC, Ryan Tate from Gawker and I, were debating “questionable ethics and jerk behavior by CEOs” it was related to my post last week: Questionable Ethics And The Next Generation Of Entrepreneurs; and Ryan’s follow up: Why Are Tech Founders Such Assholes?
Ryan made a good point on the show that looking at some of the largest success stories in Silicon Valley right now, such as Facebook and Apple, it appears that you do need to be a jerk to win.
I disagreed. Being a jerk has nothing to do with success. In this business it is teams that win — not individuals. If you are a jerk it quickly gets around and people will avoid you, they will choose to work elsewhere given the choice.
Tom Foremski is the Editor and Founder of the popular and top-ranked news site Silicon Valley Watcher, reporting on business and culture of innovation. He is a former journalist at the Financial Times and in 2004, became the first journalist from a leading newspaper to resign and become a full-time journalist blogger.
Tom has been reporting on Silicon Valley and the US tech industry since 1984 and has been named as one of the top 50 (#28) most influential bloggers in Silicon Valley. His current focus is on the convergence of media and technology — the making of a new era for Silicon Valley. He also writes a column at ZDNET.
