[WilliamLP]

The part of me that you mock, who wants to pound my chest and watch the Ultimate Fighting Championship and write abrasive comments on internet forums, I now realize is a gentle creature who needs nurture, and the direct source of much that I value.

[agraphmaul]

Sorry if that was opaque, but I'm trying to point out that you don't have to be obnoxious to be driven.

[WilliamLP]

I know that, but the question is if it can help? I don't think Wolfram is as significant as he thinks he is, but I think he's a lot more significant than a version without the obnoxious ego would be.

[agraphmaul]

I can see two possibilities here.

(1) You don't understand the distinction between having a big ego and being annoying. In this case I don't know what to say, except: thinking you're great doesn't necessitate telling everyone you're great.

(2) You do get the distinction, and you're really arguing that, big ego or small, immodesty is desirable. Again, there's not a lot to say here: it seems possible that Wolfram's success has a lot more to do with creating Mathematica than with telling people he's smarter than they are. If your position is really that being obnoxious (as opposed to merely having self-confidence) is useful, and that we should therefore be obnoxious, then so be it.