| Definitely not! If you act like a jerk it's not like that goes unnoticed either. Wouldn't you rather do business with companies that seem like they're generally trying to be helpful? Stripe is a good example. YC is a good example. Frankly there is a shortage of companies like this, thats part of why you may feel this way. This shortage makes it more valuable to operate with integrity. Also it's just a much more fun way to live. What else are you going to do? Go around screwing people over all the time? At the end of the day you still have to live with yourself. If you're looking for examples of this mindset I recommend reading Feynmann[0][1], How I Became The Honest Broker[2], and Various Diatribes from old hacker culture[3]. It's possible to play extremely hard and not be an asshole. It's called good sportsmanship. It's not required but it's entirely possible. [0] https://www.amazon.com/Surely-Feynman-Adventures-Curious-Cha... [1] https://www.amazon.com/What-Care-Other-People-Think/dp/03933... [2] https://tedgioia.substack.com/p/how-i-became-the-honest-brok... [3] http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/hacker-howto.html |