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0 pointsstuxnet791mo ago0 comments

Sure it has been codified into a "law" but really this is just basic social skills / emotional intelligence which engineers on the spectrum struggle with.

If you've spent any time in a large enough organization you realize quickly that hierarchies form based on status, power and influence & not necessarily technical merit. No it's not "the best person for the job" that rises up and tells you what to do.

Casually solving a problem that required a lot of resources and personnel has big implications in the power dynamics of the org. This is like setting off a nuke. You don't just do this unless you are prepared for the blow back or can easily consolidate attention & influence in the immediate aftermath.

Take a look at OpenAI's corporate politics for an example of how this works in practice. All the key talent that defined the company has left or was forced out and will likely languish in whatever ventures they start next, all because they don't understand how humans operate & how to drive change by aligning incentives.

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sunir1mo ago

It’s hardly basic social skill. This is an executive management skill set. That’s the advanced game.

The basic social skill is to avoid conflict and seek acceptance. Go along to get along.

One wouldn’t rewrite the app on one’s on recognizance without peer approval first if this is your vibe.

gnerd001mo ago

some people discuss these dynamics as sheep versus goats. Social stability was more precious due to scarcity, while goat behavior included 40 armed men killing their rivals with swords (and better if the rivals do not have their own swords). Many, many parallels exist in mammals that live in groups. You might be surprised at the details of how some mammals actually behave in real life!

dsr_1mo ago

Competent management says:

"Look how clever we were to hire this person and put them in the right place at the right time! We are now ahead of schedule and are reallocating teams."

There's remarkably little competent management.

myrandomcomment1mo ago

My rule had always been "hire people smarter than you and give them everything they need to succeed". Set a clearly defined goal, ensure understanding of the reasons behind it then provide the support the team needs to make it happen.

kmote001mo ago

Ditto. And then celebrate them like crazy for every win and give them all the credit, even if you helped. Who wouldn't want to do their absolute best work in an environment like that?

zem1mo ago

doesn't even need to be "smarter than you", just realise that as a manager your job is not to build the product, it's to build the environment in which the people building the product can thrive and build the best product they are capable of.

galangalalgol1mo ago

It seems like you are suggesting it is lamentable that a group of people with the analytical intelligence to create a technology that has changed the world, don't have the social intelligence to be irrational when that is called for? Shouldn't we instead hate the game itself and lament that leaders can't behave rationally? In my more frustrated moments I wonder about a world following a disease that eliminated all neurotypical people.

pegasus1mo ago

But then he went on to spite the pope for no good reason, leading to all that trouble with the church.

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