There is always someone competent ready to step in and take the place of a charismatic asshole. Whenever we see someone who is touted as being really great at something complex and difficult, and thus irreplaceable, we have to ask ourselves, “did they really do that all by themselves?” and “if not, who else worked on it; would they be better at it?”
Three things usually come with the territory of the Brilliant Asshole™: they take credit for things they didn’t do, or didn’t do alone; they blame others for their own mistakes and failures; there’s someone better at the job ready to step in who isn’t an asshole.
