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Psychopathic CEOs Are Rife In Silicon Valley, Experts Say (theguardian.com)
An anonymous reader quotes a report from The Guardian: There is a high proportion of psychopathic CEOs in Silicon Valley, enabled by protective investors and weak human resources departments, according to a panel of experts at SXSW festival. Although the term "psychopath" typically has negative connotations, some of the attributes associated with the disorder can be advantageous in a business setting. "A true psychopath is someone that has a blend of emotional, interpersonal, lifestyle and behavioral deficits but an uncanny ability to mask them. They come across as very charming, very gregarious. But underneath there's a profound lack of remorse, callousness and a lack of empathy," said forensic and clinical psychologist Michael Woodworth, who has worked with psychopathic murderers in high security prisons, on Tuesday. According to recent studies there's a high prevalence of psychopathy among high-level executives in a corporate environment: 4-8% compared with 1% in the general population. This makes sense, according to Silicon Valley venture capitalist Bryan Stolle because "it's an irrational act to start a company." "You have to have a tremendous amount of ego [and] self-deception to embark on that journey," he said. "You have to make sacrifices and give up things, including sometimes a marriage, family and friends. And you have to convince other people. So they are mostly very charismatic, charming and make you suspend the disbelief that something can't be done." However, the positive attributes are accompanied by manipulation. "One of the main things that makes them extremely difficult to organizations is their willingness to manipulate through deception," said Jeff Hancock, a Stanford social scientist who studies psychopathy. "Psychopaths will handpick people they can use as lackeys or supporters, such as someone in HR they can have in their wheelhouse," said Woodworth.
What does this tell us about our economic system?
You are welcome on my lawn.
Wow, I'm shocked. CEOs in Silicon Valley have similar characteristics to CEOs in NYC, Washington DC, and beyond. Where's the news here? Did many people really think that the most valuable companies in Silicon Valley are actually still being led by the people responsible for their initial invention(s)?
Damn_registrars has no butt-hole. Damn_registrars has no use for a butt-hole.
Why are the words "in Silicon Valley" in the title?
Politics is just another form of business; so it's very apt to manipulations of a sociopath. and the people that voted in cheeto is fell for it... HARD. Now they have too much pride to admit they got conned.
It is a well known fact that Steve Jobs had a secret button on his desk that released a trap door leading directly to his shark pool. Then, on a secret large screen television hidden in the wall of his office, he could watch the victim's last screams as they were torn apart by Great White sharks. Bill Gates preferred piranhas.
Silicon Valley is just the canary. This is more than a Silicon Valley issue, and frankly more than a USA issue too.
Have a look at what's happening in Canadian banks recently.
The Top 10 Jobs That Attract Psychopaths...
10. Civil servant
9. Chef
8. Clergy person
7. Police officer
6. Journalist
5. Surgeon
4. Salesperson
3. Media (Television/Radio)
2. Lawyer
1. CEO
https://www.forbes.com/sites/kellyclay/2013/01/05/the-top-10-jobs-that-attract-psychopaths/#76b38a9c4d80
If allowed to continue unencumbered, one of these business psychopaths may even attempt to run for president one day!