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The 10 Most Terrible Tyrants of Tech

valleywag.com — Here's to the screaming ones. The chair-throwers. The death-threat makers. The imperious gazers. The ones who see things differently — and will stare you down until you do, too. They're not fond of rules, especially those outlined by the human-resources department on "treating your employees with respect."

Who dugg this? Made popular Aug 13, 2008

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  • batmanz, on 08/13/2008, -4/+31I hear Steve Jobs eats babies too.
  • jrtcs, on 08/13/2008, -1/+23An 11 page Top 10 List. And I thought Forbes was bad.
  • breakaway, on 08/13/2008, -2/+22Developers, developers, developers, developers, developers, developers, developers, developers, developers, developers, developers.
  • SHv2, on 08/13/2008, -1/+14Wow, I haven't seen this big of a collection of douchebags since Clinton's last rally.
  • KonstantinLevin, on 08/12/2008, -5/+18Links to these profiles:
    * Apple CEO Steve Jobs: It's worse when he's not yelling
    * RealNetworks CEO Rob Glaser: Screams to make the pain stop
    * Salesforce.com CEO Marc Benioff: Flowers ... and handcuffs
    * VMware cofounder Diane Greene: Her only mistake was working for another tyrant
    * Ex-Jobster CEO Jason Goldberg: Hot head, hot lead
    * Microsoft chairman Bill Gates: Doesn't even love his mother
    * Ex-AOL sales chief David Colburn: Prepared to get biblical on your ass
    * TechCrunch editor Michael Arrington: Doesn't discriminate — he holds everyone in contempt
    * Google SVP Jonathan Rosenberg: He'll yell at Larry and Sergey, too
    * Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer: Would like to "kill" Google and its "pussy" CEO
  • matdevdug, on 08/13/2008, -1/+12I have a friend who works for Apple, he basically helps to make sure the iTunes store stays up. When he started working there, he idolized Steve Jobs, thought he was a god of technology. This was a guy who watched every keynote as it happened just to be ahead of the curve. This was back when Steve had just come back to the company as well. Now that he works there, that has all stopped. He was once denied vacation after he had it approved and bought tickets for his flight because a manager had gotten an email from Steve's office that downloads on the store had suddenly gotten slower. My friend told his boss to email them back that there was some slowness but that it wasn't required to keep the entire team there. Apparently the manager laughed and said if you wanna work here, get used to this sort of crap.
  • Branchex, on 08/13/2008, -1/+10With the way Real is hurting the CEO must be perpetually yelling. Seriously, why do successful tech companies always seem to have some *****. How long till Kevin starts being mean to everyone? (kidding)
  • WiretapStudios, on 08/13/2008, -2/+10"***** Eric Schmidt is a ***** pussy. I'm going to ***** kill Google."

    - Steve Ballmer

  • krisrm, on 08/13/2008, -3/+10Is it just me, or did they seem pretty desperate to put Gates on that list?

    "Gates, a difficult sixth grader, asks his mother, "Have you ever tried thinking?"

    I'm pretty sure we've all said something stupid like this to our mothers... don't lie.

    "Gates schedules a retreat for Microsoft company executives — on Mother's Day."

    I mean, sure, it's not a friendly thing to do, but I wouldn't say it really compares to the kicking and screaming antics of just about everyone else on that list... I'm not being defensive, or anything, just noticing that these people seemed... kinda desperate to get him on the list.
  • JedicodeWarrior, on 08/13/2008, -0/+7I would have walked off the job. No job is worth that.
  • scabbers, on 08/13/2008, -1/+8What the ***** is Techcrunch? A blog site? Um, since when is being ceo of something like that comparable to being Gates or Jobs?
  • davidwasman, on 08/13/2008, -1/+8Buried for Gawker Media

    Gizmodo, io9, Consumerist, Jalopnik, Kotaku, Valleywag and all of Gawker Media's sites employ spammers and cause a monopoly of Digg's front page. Sometimes, no less than 3 of their sites make front page, Yesterday 6 at one time. At 2pm EST today - 4.

    FYI - they get paid every time you guys click a story. Stop allowing them to spam Digg.
    Source proving they get paid per click: http://www.radaronline.com/exclusives/2008/07/gawk ...

    Also, check out this fellow digger's story about how Gawker Media stole his content and then called him a Douche - http://digg.com/apple/Shocker_iPhone_3G_Faster_in_ ...
  • Lynxpro, on 08/13/2008, -2/+8
    No Larry Ellison? I'm not advocating that he's a tyrant, but I'm sure his critics would level that charge. Personally, I think the guy is cool, and if he really wanted to, he could be a real Batman. The guy owns a MiG-29 and patterns himself as a samurai.

    And like a prior poster, I too am surprised that there's no mention of Jack Tramiel. Granted, he left the industry when he sold off Atari in 1996, but his antics from the Commodore days are legendary. And Ray Kasser should be included too...a man so much of a tyrant, he inspired a game ("Yar's Revenge"; Yar being Ray spelled backwards of course) being named after him.
  • frostbyt, on 08/13/2008, -1/+7After being married to a woman with a very loud Italian. Here is how you handle people that scream.

    1. Let them scream and don't look away from them
    2. Stand there with your arms crossed and the louder they scream the softer you talk
    3. If they keep shouting. Shout back "WHY ARE WE YELLING AGAIN?!?"
  • RavagesOfTime, on 08/13/2008, -0/+6Don't encourage Valleywag, people.
  • bffoley, on 08/13/2008, -0/+5Every time I hear Real is up to something, I'm surprised they're still in business. RealAudio/Video was ***** in the 90s and I can't imagine any of their more recent products are any less *****.
  • Azohko, on 08/13/2008, -1/+6*Spoiler Alert!!!
  • TheFinaleofSeem, on 08/13/2008, -0/+4Yeah, pissing Steve off is a great way to not get fired.
  • Weaselboy, on 08/13/2008, -0/+4So you too show your insecurities by yelling at people not a in a position to defend themselves. Tough guy.
  • MysticSavage, on 08/13/2008, -2/+6Wow, a list of 10 people who couldn't kick my ass.
  • Neo829, on 08/13/2008, -0/+3@jamesdew: in the US, most employment is "employment at will." In general, it means that you can be fired or quit for almost any reason.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/At-will_employment

    Though this is the case, most companies prefer to terminate for cause when possible, because the employee will generally be unable to claim unemployment benefits.
  • wankelrotary, on 08/13/2008, -2/+5How's that working out so far, Stevie?
  • weech, on 08/13/2008, -3/+6no you wouldnt have.you would have grumbled a bit, but stayed and worked because you're a good little employee.
  • imasuperDOTcom, on 08/13/2008, -2/+5You have to be evil to rule in that industry. It's the rules.

    Although I hear Ballmer and Steve Jobs are truly the most long running evil people in the valley.
  • Weaselboy, on 08/13/2008, -0/+3Um... yes... you can be fired. This is a private company and they can fire you for whatever reason (or no reason) they please.

    I'm not saying it is right, but they can fire you.
  • tomarocco, on 08/13/2008, -1/+4Like most tyrants, none of them would last 10 minutes in a dark parking lot, even as a group.
  • y2000, on 08/13/2008, -0/+3I'm not sure how accurate this is..I think Valleywag is a bit bias against some of those people.
  • kd1s, on 08/13/2008, -1/+4Ballmer talking about killing Google hasn't come to fruition yet. I don't think it will.
  • JedicodeWarrior, on 08/13/2008, -2/+4With the exception of that pussy from tech crunch, each of these people need to show some god damn respect for the folks who got they where they are today. Sure they have a vision, but without employees the vision never would have made it off the floor of the bathroom while they were whacking off.

    The pantywaist from techcruch just needs to go away, he's irrelevant.
  • JedicodeWarrior, on 08/13/2008, -0/+2It isn't. He has tech envy.
  • nutzngum, on 08/13/2008, -0/+2good advice, but to be honest I had to giggle a bit when you said how you were married to "a woman with a very loud Italian.". I just pictured you at the altar with your bride to be and a very loud Italian person standing beside her yelling the whole time....
  • inactive, on 08/13/2008, -1/+3bah, i got promoted once because i wouldn't be bullied
  • channelx, on 08/13/2008, -3/+5Dugg of the use of alliteration in the title alone
  • Browzer, on 08/13/2008, -1/+3Life is too short to work for jerks like this.
  • jamesdew, on 08/13/2008, -1/+3I'm pretty sure you have to have a reason to fire someone, at least in the UK if someone has been working for a company for more than a year you cannot be fired for no reason.
    Even in the first year if you were fired for requesting your entitlements you could still sue.
  • psilanthropist, on 08/13/2008, -0/+2Not much use buried in the thread below is it ? Good try, son.
  • jamesdew, on 08/13/2008, -1/+3I would have just gone anyway, if your holiday is approved what are they going to do? You can't be fired for taking an approved holiday.
  • Azohko, on 08/13/2008, -0/+2All one can do is try...
  • Virgule, on 08/14/2008, -0/+1hmm no. Im not _that_ kind of guy tho..
  • dobry, on 08/14/2008, -0/+1not in all states, indiana for example is a no-cause state. they can fire you for any possible reason they could think of, "i dont want you to work here anymore" is a good enough reason. unless, of course you are in a union
  • inactive, on 08/13/2008, -0/+1I think he used to think he was bad, but his decline seems to have humbled him
  • rocko_stazetti, on 08/13/2008, -0/+1No, just soy flavored imitation babies.
  • batmanz, on 08/13/2008, -1/+2Sorta makes me like him more actually.
  • FLarsen, on 08/13/2008, -0/+1That's my impression as well.

    Of course, they left out all the good things he's done. Like starting the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

    I think that would make up for the stuff on that list, but I guess it's cool to hate him.
  • jamesdew, on 08/13/2008, -0/+1wow really? That is terrible, how does anyone stand up for their rights? So if I have a job and my boss says "you are having no breaks today" and I say "but I am tired and hungry and legally entitled to a break" so he says "you are fired". Is there nothing I can do about it? (if I worked in the US that is)
  • bobfoster, on 08/13/2008, -1/+2Good rules: Don't be an *****. Don't work for *****.
  • 10goto10, on 08/13/2008, -2/+3Commodore International's Jack Tramiel didn't make this list because he was such a darling?
  • bffoley, on 08/13/2008, -0/+1Yea you can. You're at at-will employee if you work in California and they can fire you for looking at Steve cross-eyed.
  • djm19, on 08/14/2008, -0/+0Unless you are in a union that protects you from such firings. The manager would have to show cause for firing you.
  • FyberOptic, on 08/13/2008, -2/+2Man I knew Steve Jobs was the king douchebag, but he parks in handicap spaces too? I didn't think my opinion of him could go any lower.
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