> I don't think firing him did any good to apple.

By a roundabout way, it did! If Jobs had not been fired from apple he would not have learned a whole slew of valuable lessons which he applied upon his return.

Bill Gates, too, was a brilliant jerk, and probably in a bigger if different way than Jobs.

Could it be that people are complex? That they are more than a two word label? What a conclusion that would be.

Yup, from most accounts. Overall this is nice article on how to mismanage talent and turn innovative companies into dinosaurs.

I think Gates owned too much of the company, this guy is talking about hires it sounds like.

I was thinking the same thing - today's Brilliant Jerk is tomorrow's visionary - just look at Steve Jobs as a good example. People also adapt and change over time, so that's important to take into account. I think the comments here all show that this brilliant jerk phenomenon is an oversimplification of something we've all experienced at work.

It seems "visionary" is turned to jerk when he's pushed down the ladder and stripped of any ability to do anything.

Even the author says "When we hired him, we hired over our heads."

I fail to see how this is a cautionary tale of hiring and firing "brilliant jerks." It reeks much more of incompetent management.