This student obviously should never have done this, what a waste of his talent.
I could be wrong, but I think the psychological aspect driving his actions was that he found himself working under people or with peers who were far less talented than him in understanding and skills.
People like him hone in on the fact that there isn’t a true meritocracy in our world, but instead there are network effects and luck, and often times you’re stuck working with, or under, people who are simply inferior than you in skill or talent, but have a higher social or work status. Or they got to where they are based on good luck, and you’re stuck there because of your bad luck.
The appropriate response is to just keep your head down, keep building your stuff, and then come into your own. Or start your own venture, open source or otherwise. Academic maliciousness or sabotage is definitely the wrong response, and no one should empathize with that.
Someone talented like him deserved a mentor who both humbled and guided him. I think academia has a responsibility to produce good mentors, and I don’t think it’s doing that.
I could be wrong, but I think the psychological aspect driving his actions was that he found himself working under people or with peers who were far less talented than him in understanding and skills.
People like him hone in on the fact that there isn’t a true meritocracy in our world, but instead there are network effects and luck, and often times you’re stuck working with, or under, people who are simply inferior than you in skill or talent, but have a higher social or work status. Or they got to where they are based on good luck, and you’re stuck there because of your bad luck.
The appropriate response is to just keep your head down, keep building your stuff, and then come into your own. Or start your own venture, open source or otherwise. Academic maliciousness or sabotage is definitely the wrong response, and no one should empathize with that.
Someone talented like him deserved a mentor who both humbled and guided him. I think academia has a responsibility to produce good mentors, and I don’t think it’s doing that.