#700
Wow 700 posts... Unimaginable... Another 2300 more for 3000!! I shall do it! I may be I am 87 then? Confident). What a topic to write.
If you've doom-scrolled X lately, you've likely seen Auren Hoffman's hand-drawn pyramid: Assholes Per Capita Per Industry. It's a snarky funnel ranking sectors from toxic to tolerable. (Pro tip from my circle: We crowdsourced an update—slotted in "Corporate/Manufacturing" as the HR-heavy purgatory no one asked for but everyone dreads. Hah, because who doesn't have HR horror stories?
| Rank | Industry | Asshole Density |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Politics | Peak pettiness |
| 2 | Media | Spin cycle |
| 3 | Corporate/Manufacturing | Bureaucratic buzzkills (HR's natural habitat) |
| 4 | Academia | Ego ivory towers |
| 5 | Finance | Cutthroat cash |
| 6 | Business | Middling mess |
| 7 | Tech | Least loathsome |
Elon Musk retweeted the original: "Accurate." From the king of bold calls, that's endorsement gold.
In my 40-year career engagement —tech, corps, startups—I've dodged true assholes. One near-miss boss lasted five months of micromanaging hell, but that's it. Lucky? Or workplaces evolving? This chart yanked me back to Dr. Robert Sutton's 2007 gem, The No Asshole Rule. Sutton's verdict: Jerks drain productivity, morale, and talent. Enforce zero tolerance—or crumble.
Why do they sprout and harass? Top reasons:
- Skill Gap: Zero people-management chops (hello, bad promotions).
- Stress Overload: Turns normals into snarlers.
- Insecurities: Bullying boosts brittle egos.
- Toxic Norms: Cultures rewarding ruthlessness.
- Bad Mimicry: Copying crappy bosses.
Extras I've seen:
- Power Poison: Authority erodes empathy—politics' playground.
- Narcissist Fuel: Colleagues as stage props.
- No Accountability: Echo chambers enable endless idiocy (HR's blind spot?).
- Empathy Erosion: Burnout defaults to "me first."
- Success Shield: Results excuse the rot.
Tech's low rank? Youthful meritocracy, flat teams, and "fail fast" forgiveness weed out worst cases. Politics/Media? High-stakes spotlights amplify flaws. Corporate/Manufacturing? Endless policies and "compliance cops" breed passive-aggressive enforcers—HR's specialty.
Why the surge lately? Post-2020 vibes:
- Social Media Mayhem: Outrage addiction spills into Slack feuds.
- Remote Rut: No casual chats; grudges brew in isolation.
- Economic Edge: Layoffs + inflation crank stress to asshole-max.
- Hustle Hype: "Grindset" gurus glorify dickish "alpha" moves.
- Polarization: Tribalism turns coworkers into foes.
Silver lining: Awareness kills it. Channel Sutton—audit for jerks, prioritize kindness. Tech, let's hold that low-asshole crown: Mentor, unplug, build on trust. And HR? Reform from within—ditch the clipboard, embrace the empathy.
Your turn: Pyramid placement? Asshole survival tales? Comment below. Stay (mostly) sane.
Karthik
13/11/25 10am.
Good to see 43 days shutdown coming to an end... Some common sense prevailed amongst 8.
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