Yeah the author has a very uncharitable view towards Magerman. You can disagree with his political actions but I don't think he came off as a jerk, as much as someone who was aware of the old boys club nature of RenTech and wanted to change it.
Ugh. I recall the thick yellow sludge in the computers at a new job in 90s where everyone chain smoked. I asked how many years old it was. “Six months”
Promptly gave 2 weeks notice in.