Linus Torvalds on his insults: respect should be earned.

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter: www.tfir.io/dnl
Become a patron of this channel: / tfir
Follow us on Twitter: / tfir_io
Like us on Facebook: / tfirmedia
Linus Torvalds: “I don't respect people unless I think they deserve the respect. There are people who think that respect is something that should be given, and I happen to be one of the people who is perfectly happy saying no respect should be earned. And without being earned, you don't get it. It's really that simple.”

[@Raylightsen]

Respect should be earned. Disrespect should be earned. To be ignored is free. I think this is how humanity works.

[@heloxiii8894]

and it's fineeeeeeee

[@wpyoga]

To be ignored is the most important human right. Internet access is NOT a human right. You pay for the privilege.

[@RR-et6zp]

It’s the male merit vs female communitarian point of views

[@RR-et6zp]

@@heloxiii8894 It’s the male merit vs female communitarian point of views

[@ME0WMERE]

@@RR-et6zp What.

[@mohammedfarahmand7809]

"Not everybody agrees, and that's fine, too!"

[@juliankandlhofer7553]

How dare you say that! I disagree!!!1!11!1!

[@MrShadz]

@RoastedLemonz OMG I'm so offended by your disagreement on Julian's disagreement!1!!1!!111!

[@aronalfayez]

YOU ASSAULTED ME EVERYONE SAW IT! CANCEL THIS COMMENT!

[@leonardonovara9348]

For modern standards, that's racist and you should be cancelled.

[@FunnyPigRun]

Bro. This joke has become too real, and it's not funny anymore... Like, "main" branch? Are you f*cking serious? The newest "git" even warns you about changing the default branch name.

[@danielh7678]

I have the feeling that this mentality only works when you're in a position of authority, like Linus is. If I started talking to my tech lead or my boss like this, even if I might know more than them technically, I'd get fired.

[@JayMaverick]

That's the whole point of the video. You get fired from one place, but you might be embraced by another place because they resonate with your style of communication. Of course if you find yourself being angry at everything constantly, then it's a different sort of problem.

[@adaminoue3524]

Interestingly, I read your comment and thought about how being as abrasive as Linus would be fine in my current job, but not so fine in any prior job. I definitely think that the most important thing is the technology (results) and bosses will tolerate more than you think if you're an excellent programmer, but only in certain cultures (and probably not nearly half in the US at this time).

[@laurens9561]

Happened to me twice. Didn't even talk 1 / 10th of the shit talked about here, And I was demonstrably right in the cases that most probably led to me being fired. Would still do it again. I will probably not land a high paying job very soon any more, but I really don't care. I most definitely don't have the success, finances or smarts like Linus, but I really feel what he's saying, so I guess it's stronger than ourselves. About authority, I don't think that's the thing. It works only if you can find people that are ok with this direct and open attitude AND share a common goal that is also profitable in financial terms, or gives respect or energy from doing this. Also, in Linus case, his authority grew naturally, in part because it's his baby, but also because the respect he deserved over the years from being dedicated and working hard. But yes, in general, I agree with what you say.

[@gustavoturm]

@Мукура Блуд That's not "The beauty of open source", that is "the beauty of open source when you develop famous software everyone is interested in", as everyone is interested in, these people are kinda stuck with their bosses.

[@ps3301]

Look at Steve jobs . Most people who worked with him couldn't stand him as he was so demanding beyond belief.

[@h.m.6228]

"Shut up and compile that kernel!"

[@fungo6631]

Bonus points if you use your own compiler, like Terry did.

[@ldskjfhslkjdhflkjdhf]

@@fungo6631 Cringe.

[@fungo6631]

@@ldskjfhslkjdhflkjdhf Uh, oh! Another CIA glow in the dark!

[@ldskjfhslkjdhflkjdhf]

@@fungo6631 Cringe.

[@fungo6631]

@@ldskjfhslkjdhflkjdhf CIA glow in the dark alert!

[@dk418]

Torvalds: Respects should be earned, but disrespect is free.

[@TheZorboidOrbb]

It was probably earned too.. Only thing you get for free is idgaf

[@genericdeveloper3966]

That's something abusive people say to justify being an asshole.

[@fabiotrucco7969]

You made a very good point

[@srki22]

He is trying to justify abusive behaviour. It is the disrespect that should be earned, not respect. Google tit for tat strategy. My default position is to show respect to everyone until they create reasons for me to disrespect them. For example, I would give my seat to an elder person on a bus out of respect, but if I see that it is a disrespecting asshole or Karen, I would not give up my seat. You should always give a benefit of the doubt because we are not robots so we can make mistakes. There are some really good developers that would refuse to work in such environment even if they are not at the end of his rants.

[@IkeaHomeSP]

@@srki22 i agree w/ the last line of your statement but the problem w/ it is that most ppl will give you genuine reason to not respect them w/in a few interactions, and then you have ppl complaining about not getting the respect they supposedly deserve. it also helps to consider that different ppl have a different scope or gauge to whom how or why they extend respect. generally, i tend to respect ppl most for cathartic behaviour, or honesty rather, which is often misconstrued as being mean or abusive. those types of ppl are just sick of your (im gemeralizing) bullshit. in my experience, once youve figured out what they perceive as worthy of their respect, and adapt to that, they are the fairest and most reliable ppl to have in your life. i always draw the line w/ someone when i catch them in a lie or expecting more from me than what they are willing to penny.

[@aliedperez]

0:43 _(...) I've actually seen projects that took the whole political correctness so far that the project is no longer is about the technology_ that's prophetic, isn't it?

[@enlocktv6103]

Sorry, I'm out of the loop. What happened?

[@lyxar777]

Linus bend the knee, end of last year, and permitted the PC-cancer into the kernel-community, by stepping down and letting them install a "code of conduct". You know, just like they did in e-sports. Multiple kerneldevs then threatend to pull their code. In other words: Linux is now infected, down to the kernel. It's not "taken over" yet, but the cancer has firmly taken root, and will only spread.

[@dervishosman9599]

@@lyxar777 Sorry, infected by what exactly? Your perception of an ideological encroachment?

[@lyxar777]

Dervish: It has no fitting official name yet (they themselves call it "intersectional feminism", which is misleading since it has nothing to do with the original feminism. In fact, the original feminists despise it. Opponents call the perpetrators "SJWs", but that's misleading too, since it has nothing to do with justice or being social). A fitting name would be something like "Cultural and sexual marxism", since that's essentially their ideological system: Applying Marx's beliefs about economies to culture. For example, instead of declaring a class-hierachy the problem, they declare a cultural and sexual hierachy the problem. Some things stay the same though, such as establishing a new "influencer-class" (themselves), to engineer society.

[@rafal5863]

​@@lyxar777 How Orwellian that there is no name for it. Linux was the last bastion of meritocracy. I saw it at a big western multinational telco vendor. The rot starts with HR and new equity rules. In less than 12 months (one revision cycle) the equipment can't get 99.99% uptime any more. Socialists have a name for this process. "The long march through the institutions." Give it a wikipedia.

[@RowanGontier]

The test for me is how Linus reacts when he is insulted. He faces nice people, from what I've seen.

[@champfisk5613]

He showed it when people applauded the guy for the respect opinion. He didn’t really like it I think.

[@LemonVRC]

@@champfisk5613 And that's totally fine. He doesn't have to work with this crowd anyways, who cares.

[@champfisk5613]

@@LemonVRC meh you are him, I appreciate his contribution, but still doesn't mean he has to be a dick

[@RowanGontier]

@@turtle1692 Lots of truth to that. I wish Linus followed that advice when it comes to sun like players such as Nvidia and Intel. I guess he realises that gods fall.

[@JensHove]

@@champfisk5613 PC is regressive, and destructive. Honesty is what moves innovation. You don't like it? Leave. Cry-babies like you are becoming a scourge upon this planet.

[@kagedrengen]

How times have changed...

[@CeroTee]

You mean how much he has sold himself.

[@aliedperez]

CeroTee hopefully for more than 30 pieces of silver...

[@lowellhouser7731]

Have they? Has Linus been forced out, has he caved to his daughter's wishes, has he been bought, say by Microsoft and Google because Linux is about to begin a decade of growth that will see it become their competition? Lots of questions with no answers.

[@felipecabrera511]

He did it because of his little SJW daughter

[@lowellhouser7731]

Felipe Cabrera I'm sure that she's part of this. But I think that everybody is missing an angle on this. In 2018 alone, Microsoft has bought Git which was founded by Linus specifically to maintain Linux, and bought it's way into the Linux Foundation in the same year that Valve has integrated WINE seamlessly into Steam to grow the Linux user base specifically as a counter to Microsoft's obvious designs to close the Windows ecosystem. At the same time next year a Linux powered smartphone which completely avoids the Google ecosystem is landing on the market that will actually get even the FSF approval, and it's coming from a company that has experience succeeding with Linux devices. It will eventually be a competitor. In other words, it makes a lot of sense for both Microsoft and Google to be behind this, especially Microsoft. The only way M$ can possibly take down Linux is from within.

[@Wayne-wo1wc]

"I think Americans are far too concerned with superficial friendliness and politeness. Even when people are angry with you and are basically telling you to fuck of they will still continue to use "thank you" and "please" which becomes completely bizarre when their voice is telling you they are not being friendly at all."

[@Kimchi_Studios]

This man saw the future. Look at America now, holy shit that was fast.

[@ryanwallace983]

@@Kimchi_Studios America has always been like this lol-look at southern culture “bless his/her heart” can usually be inferred to mean the stupid fucker based on tone

[@timisa58]

This isn't about superficial friendliness. This is about a man who openly insults other human beings in an over-the-top-manner. I am certain if he insulted you, you would not respect him. You may remain quiet and kiss his arse, but that would last until you finally realized just what a jerk he is and had enough.

[@ryanwallace983]

@@timisa58 he is an ass, I don’t think anyone is contesting that...

[@sd7335]

@@timisa58 And yet this is an honest man, who doesn't need to hide behind superficial words as OP described. I rather talk to someone like this, then being waterboarded with fake pretense.

[@whatever-wn1nk]

Treating someone with respect and actually respecting someone are 2 different things.

[@benruss4130]

everyone starts at 'common courtesy' you can either go up or down the ladder based on your actions.

[@andyhilal1228]

He cannot differentiate between these: Respect: basic decency which should be afforded to all by default, in recognition of their humanity. Assumption of goodwill until shown otherwise. This kind of respect is not earned but can be lost. Respect: admiration and status earned over time by the display of someone's best qualities and high performance. This kind of respect must be earned, and is not given by default. There is a time and place for each of these things. He should learn to put down someone's work or opinions without insulting their humanity. But hey, what can we expect from someone who has no humanity himself outside of his work.

[@benruss4130]

@@andyhilal1228 that kind of respect isn't respect at all it is common courtesy. Respect is earned, and any "respect" that is shown prior is disingenuous.

[@ahilal]

@@benruss4130 fine, semantic distinction, but okay. Linus should treat people with common courtesy and he does not, disingenuously arguing that "respect should be earned" and whining about political correctness instead of just not being an asshole.

[@mishafinadorin8049]

@@ahilal Is he really such a great asshole and are his remarks really undeserved?

[@noodlekingjr]

1:42 "Living together is not by finding some lowest common denominator" As much as I lead with empathy in as many situations as possible, this is probably the most true he said during his whole answer.

[@zyansheep]

Well, it *could* be, and often is in many places, but its a matter of politics whether and where and to what degree it happens.

[@kalebbruwer]

There are plenty of programmers who have 0 intuition and meanwhile IT is a field centered on problem solving so you will honestly ask "how the hell did this guy get this far?"

[@bishop8000]

Yep. But privately, not on a public forum, and failing that hopefully with less dehumanizing language.

[@thomasjefferson4195]

@@bishop8000 "dehumanizing langauge" Guys I spotted the gender studies major

[@stevezelaznik5872]

@@thomasjefferson4195 There’s blunt “Listen, man, you’re not yet a strong enough coder in C to be contributing to the kernel.” vs “Your mother should have aborted you.” His abrasiveness is more than offset by his enormous contributions to Linux.

[@pharoah327]

IT is not Computer Science. These are different fields with maybe 5% overlap, if that.

[@UnashamedlyHentai]

Respect isn't a bool. It's a continuous value on a spectrum. Disrespect should earned just as respect is, and in proportion to people's actions.

[@SomeRandomPiggo]

It's a float

[@FlamencoDeniz]

lol

[@finmat95]

@@SomeRandomPiggo And it starts from 0.0

[@kraidev]

@@SomeRandomPiggo Respect is inaccurate???

[@SomeRandomPiggo]

@@kraidev True, could use a double but of course even that is inaccurate to a point

[@hedgeearthridge6807]

I love how Linus is so calm and nice, yet so abrasive at the same time, LOL. You can tell he's not actively trying to be mean, and that he's not hateful. Like he said, people are different. Grow up in different cultures, in different families, and have different personalities and worldviews. And nobody's perfect either, of course. But I greatly respect him for it

[@Ravie1]

Saying things to people like they should be retroactively aborted isn't being abrasive, it's hostile and hateful. Linus seems to confuse expression of self and expression of contempt, you can express dissatisfaction to people in a way that communicative and gives them the opportunity to improve, or you can be a self aggrandizing ass and make it about making yourself feel better than other people like he seems to. The man seems to create conflict for no reason, and he's not being playful.

[@taragnor]

@@Ravie1 Yeah, it's one thing to say someone's work was terrible. That's bluntly honest and abrasive. It's quite another to insult the person directly.

[@jacobscrackers98]

Maybe part of the problem is not being able to tell tone from a text post.

[@jonkiparsky7369]

@@jacobscrackers98 Maybe part of the problem is Torvalds is an asshole, and people tolerate him being an asshole.

[@thomasjefferson4195]

@@Ravie1 wahhhhhh

[@theuberman7170]

Teaching someone HOW and WHAT to improve is more effective than just insulting them or just respecting them.

[@JonnyTBooker]

You can't teach someone that isn't willing to learn! and when your more concerned about your "feelings" than the work maybe you should just go home to mommy and not play with the grown ups!

[@melancholyentertainment]

@@JonnyTBooker Most people who describe themselves as “abrasive” or just take pride in being a jerk as if it’s a replacement for having a personality don’t try, or even care if the person is willing to learn. Especially in elitist tech spaces. Also, work exists to serve humanity, part of which is our feelings, not the other way around.

[@robertwaghorn1259]

What a loveable penguin man

[@aparisg9734]

Thats what we call a genius

[@aparisg9734]

@@depression_isnt_real he is so Nice look at him as a big baby

[@williammacleod6417]

A society of victims by default. If Linus Torvalds told me to retroactively abort myself it would probably be one of the highlights of my whole year.

[@LTS1287]

If your life is that devoid of joy I pity you. Linus is a god only in his own mind. The Linux kernel is a team effort and although he's the captain he's really not that special. Neither is Linux for that matter. Do yourself a favor and go to a park, hug your relatives, or find some other way to unplug.

[@williammacleod6417]

I'd say it more fully embraces your concept of a joy filled life to embrace interactions in all of their nuances as opposed to getting caught up on being polically correct. And I think you'll find the result of many individuals groundbreaking work results in an effort of many individuals. And full disclosure, I'm not a Linux proponent in any capacity, so your fanboy angle doesn't fly either.

[@LTS1287]

William MacLeod "Embrace interactions in all of their nuances?" That's a fancy way of saying that you will put up with other people's crap. My position is that one should be a man/woman and stand up for oneself instead of allowing a man-child to treat them like a welcome mat. Its not about being a fanboy its about human decency. If you want to live your life as a castrato and allow people to treat you like crap then go right ahead. I don't kiss anyone's ass. Yes I'm a fan of Linux. Yes I'm a fan of free software. What does that have to do with it? Where is my "fanboy angle"? I even said that Linux isn't that impressive which it isn't. There are far more interesting projects that don't get any attention. I respect Linus Torvalds for starting Linux but I don't respect his attitude. It takes true inner strength to treat people as you would want to be treated. Anyone can be an egomaniac and treat people as nothing but worker bees. It takes a MAN to step outside of himself and realize that what he's doing is wrong. Linus does not do that. Instead he makes excuses. Its not political correctness. Saying that someone should have been retroactively aborted has NOTHING to do with political correctness. It has EVERYTHING to do with being an entitled asshat. Linux is bigger than Linus. He acts like he wrote the whole kernel himself when he has really contributed less than 5% to its codebase.

[@ThoughtForge5]

LTS1287 Jesus, you act like *you're* the person he said needed to be retroactively aborted. I wish people would get this passionate about shit that actually mattered. That would be cool.

[@blackneos940]

ThoughtForge5 You just parroted Linux, and you want respect.....? Earn it, then. And shut your damn mouth.....

[@Mbd3Bal7dod]

I think there is a base "amount" of respect that ever one have "from me " but it will increase of decrease very fast based on there actions

[@mariusschubert4737]

Totally my point of view!

[@bardiabahrampour4166]

this!

[@Wa7edmenalnass]

So u will kik them out of your family's bank 😂

[@Sykale]

Yup. If someone is a cunt to other people I will respect them significantly less

[@user-mu2qq3eb7t]

find people you like working with, that's a great point too.

[@ryanfranz6715]

Some people are polite because they’re genuinely considerate, but most are polite because they need to be. This just shows the degree to which he genuinely doesn’t answer to anyone. His personality is un-touched by the pressures of society, which basically by definition, makes it a personality society condemns.

[@newchannel1220]

Respect should be earned. but if you have a gun, same thing.

[@carljones9640]

Hard necro-post response, but I think you've got a pretty twisted view on humanity. Most people don't begrudgingly participate in social norms. Most people are more than happy to participate in social norms. I think you might be projecting.

[@hugo9618]

I think no one earns my respect. Now I can insult everyone without guilt

[@MrDante224]

You always could...but remember you aren't exempt from consequences.

[@tc2241]

I’ve worked with people who thought themselves to be the genius amongst baboons. It’s a pain in the ass working with those individuals. Especially when their biases impede progress.

[@zion6680]

Progress how? I've worked with an asshole who thought that way about everyone, and their way of doing things were never up to his standards - turns out though he really was the genius, and everyone else me included had baboon intellect. So should he have allowed me to do my job terribly when he could do it better than me in every way and I was merely an inconvenience? Because, I would've impeded progress. I'm only asking because I'm curious, how do you know for sure that you are in fact not the problem and it's the other guy? My guess is that the proof is always going to be in the pudding.

[@Xsomono]

​@@zion6680Isn't this a different issue though? The guy's questions was chiefly about whether it is acceptable to insult. I think it's okay for someone far more competent to do what they want and not spend time one working well with people who's work is worse. I still think that more competent people shouldn't insult others. Avoiding insults is not something that impedes your own work. Linus said here that respect has to be earned but I'd say even people who haven't deserved your respect should not be insulted.

[@RaniaIsAwesome]

@@XsomonoInsulting your enemies in certain situations is fine. Insulting people under you or who are trying their best, never is.

[@Xsomono]

@@RaniaIsAwesome Well, I'd say insulting people who intentionally harm other people is fine, although maybe that's what you meant.

[@wtfJunk]

I think in the discussions here are two factors mixed together: moral and efficiency. Let’s ignore the moral and only focus on efficiency. Does Linus actually want to collab with people even if they are stupid? If so, he should respect, teach them and help them improve. If not, he should insult them and kick them out. I can tell that Linus actually dont like to work with people

[@Artybruh]

I feel, it's not about "giving respect", it's more about not being a bully and treating other humans with basic decency. Are these developers he is working with malicious and intending to make mistakes? He can assert dominance, show anger, and put people in line WITHOUT the personal insults such as suggesting they were too stupid to find a tit to suck on as a kid.

[@Jp-ue8xz]

malicious intent? to be an evidently stupid adult and attempting to contribute to a project knowing you're not able to, is malicious intent

[@Artybruh]

Yeah, well, that's just like, your opinion, man.

[@taxman6095]

If banter is bullying to you then you're probably too soft to be programming kernels in the first place.

[@Artybruh]

Tax Man lol what he was saying wasn't banter though

[@salter1630]

@@Jp-ue8xz you are a moron who should go back to studying basic english, as you clearly do not know the definition of "malicious" or "intent". To begin with "intent" already means "intentions" and I highly doubt these people are coming here with the intention of being "an evidently stupid adult" and malicious intent involves having the intent to do harm - they might have bad ideas, but bad ideas aren't malicious intent, as we know from the phrase "The road to hell is paved with good intentions".

[@albirtarsha5370]

There is a difference between respect and dignity. No one should be denied dignity without real consideration for the reason that dignity is denied.

[@ChristopherSalisburySalz]

Yes. You can tell someone they aren't up to the task without the insults.

[@RR-et6zp]

It’s the male merit vs female communitarian point of views

[@finmat95]

@@ChristopherSalisburySalz THIS.

[@chrnehmke]

I personally think linus is half right on the respect front. So here is my humble opinion in the vast sea of opinions in the internet: A baseline of respect should be given in the sense of simply being polite to each other. BUT more respect should be earned. Like starting at zero and either going up or down, depending on how well people work together.

[@SoundboundOfficial]

That baseline is lost the moment you do something very stupid. Stupidity doesn't grant you kindness. And maybe, just maybe, that bad feeling the rudeness invokes in you will prevent you from doing such stupid things in the future. If you respond to stupidity with kindness, you can be sure they'll do it next time as well.

[@chrnehmke]

@@SoundboundOfficial thats what i have said. "Like starting at zero and either going up or down, depending on how well people work together." this obviously counts for every behavior. also people can still make up for stupid actions and earn back some or all of their trust that way. If you want an example, just look at the history of no mans sky.

[@astrahcat1212]

Someone who screams at people on the street isn't deserving of respect as they haven't earned it, druggies, criminals and crazy people are everywhere. 'Respect should be given in the sense of simply being polite to each other' - > You dealing with a neighborhood with drug cartels and criminals, being polite isn't going to help you. Being polite to others is something that earns you respect, but those who aren't polite aren't deserving of respect.

[@kairatkempirbaev7183]

@@SoundboundOfficial Humiliating somebody has nothing to do with respect. You either give respect or you don't. Showing disrespect on the other hand is Ego.

[@winnyace82]

@@astrahcat1212 Well, yes. It's what OP said in his comment. You think OP would respect to criminals or crackheads? I don't think so.

[@vintprox]

It's kind of going in extremes with words: you don't give out respect left and right, but there are just simple grounds where you don't need to earn it to be heard either. It's supposed to be in the middle.

[@matpsycic]

Respect should be earned.. but you don't dish out disrespect like halloween candy 😅

[@user-my5cu7oy5i]

Now go cry mommy

[@thememeoverlord.1949]

Quit being such a wimp.

[@martinenn]

why not ?

[@thememeoverlord.1949]

@@martinenn because other people see that.

[@Schcarraffone]

he does not. I ve seen Linus going very long in mail threads to help people asking for clarifications even if really not experts... when he FLAMES someone i quite always saw this to be really deserved...

[@pangruff]

Anyone giving discretionary time to an open source project has earned some respect already.

[@NateB]

A modicum, perhaps, but some come to open source projects with perverse ulterior motives. And if those are discovered, that modicum should go out the window.

[@IrregularPineapples]

That's like saying when a stranger comes walking up to a group of friends playing football and starts to play the ball should be respected. I mean. No. The stranger doesn't know them, he doesn't own the ball, he doesn't know which team he should be playing in. You can argue that he's "contributing" to the game by playing football but everyone else are right to say "who the fuck is this guy and who does he think he is?" Now if the stranger comes prepared, maybe with a ball of his own and some gear and asks the group if he can join them to play for a bit then that's a whole different kind of thing.

[@1994mrmysteryman]

@@IrregularPineapples Your analogy makes no sense. The people he bashes don't just come out nowhere and start working on this project like toddlers.

[@IrregularPineapples]

@@1994mrmysteryman ...yes they do, why be in the mailing list otherwise?

[@CynicalOldDwarf]

Not really, especially on large well established projects as a some people join these just for the clout of being on a big project they can plonk on their CV. Even on smaller projects you get a lot of people joining just for the power rush, I used to contribute to a well established OSS game and met plenty of coders that gave no care to how the game played or what the community wanted, and just pushed changes based on their own whims. So no, submitting code contributions should not automatically earn you respect

[@nikjs]

good to see the man in the flesh! Salute, Linus, and I'm so glad to see we're on the same page in this topic!

[@stupidburp]

There is a difference between having respect for someone and communicating with others in a respectful way. You can dislike someone and still be civil when speaking to them. You do not have to do so. You have the option to be rude or offensive. However this expression of your character can be considered a serious flaw of character. A flaw serious enough that others may be justifiably rude in response. This leads to a less civil society as interactions devolve into insults and arguments.

[@staffan144]

Big deal, get over it.

[@LenTos1337]

You must be respectful in your conversation with other people to achieve expected result from them, I don't like the things Linus says because he sounds very childish when he insults someone or says something like "this is the best because I like it". I mean, you have the right to dislike something or someone but to discuss it you have to have good argument and not personal preference and insults. If you have to work with someone that treats you like shit just leave that place asap

[@Oswee]

How do you politely say "F*** off and don't waste my valuable time"? Every second some dumbass who had not spend a single day on the kernel, thinks he has something valuable to add. That he has an opinion. But he does not realize the whole problem scope nor context as Linus does. 80% of people in general are dumb. And you can't politely talk to every one of them. So you should just cut it short. And the shortest way is to add some rudeness. Other thing i strongly believe in... polite soft-talk leads to relaxed and lazy development. Instead more agressive and stright language keeps the fire burning which leads to more agressive competition, drive for respect, pure innovation. That said, i totally support Linus attitude.

[@bokuden693]

Arguments are good in general because you test the strength and stability of your ideas.

[@bokuden693]

@@Oswee actually 95% are pathetic if you use iq as a benchmark and if you also use personality tests like big 5,its much worse. Also I totally agree with you about telling others to piss off when they say things that make no sense and waste everyone's time. Again it just boils down to whether you want to be goal directed and increase your productivity or waste time and live in a delusion like most of the fools in this world.

[@Cryogenics12]

I differentiate between the notions of "respect" and what I would call simple decency. Deep respect or admiration or belief in someone's work/abilities/ethic is indeed something that is earned. It takes time and special circumstances. Decency is a whole different matter. By all means tear their logic to pieces if something is wrong, but no need to be an overbearing asshole. Say something along the lines of "Your solution does not work for X reasons or Y reasons. Or, this is suboptimal." It really is possible to be honest, constructive, and professional. It's all about critique of LOGIC, not saying they should have been aborted which is pretty deplorable to say in any context. Even if Linus is an ass at times, I'm glad he's here. To me that isn't really about being politically correct. It's simply common sense. If you are honest yet don't go out of your way to be vicious to someone, they will likely work with you quite well. Obviously, people are not perfectly rational robots at all times, even people with a high level of composure. However, when things do become tense, if people see that you are honest but generally well-meaning 90% of the time, the professional or even personal relationship/friendship/whatever is still very salvageable. You have not lost someone who could end up being a major plus to your project/cause. This is not to say that people should be on the other end of the spectrum either. There are people out there who freak out if someone even disagrees with them.

[@w500nm]

Yeah I can see straight thru the guy, he is full of shit. You don't start meeting people and making friends by being disrespectful or indecent

[@JaviLavandeira]

Well, this isn't about making friends, but about creating a product (an operating system kernel). It makes all sense in the world to be rude to people who have been told again and again that their code isn't up to the required standards, and yet they keep trying to force the admins to get the code merged.

[@Cryogenics12]

Javi Lavandeira I said nothing about "friends" whatsoever. If you read my comment carefully you would understand that. What I'm referring to is basic professionalism.

[@JaviLavandeira]

Oh, but you *were* talking about making friends, and I see that you've now edited your message to say something else. When did the substance of a message become less important than the words used to convey it? I think you people are becoming way oversensitive and too offended at big, scary words. You can take your "basic professionalism", your euphemisms and your political correctness and stick them all deep inside your ass, where they belong. :-) I'm on Linus' side here. When you have a bad developer submitting crappy code and getting rejected again and again, who keeps trying other channels after being told to stop being annoying, at some point you have to stop being subtle and tell the guy to go the fuck away, which is exactly what happened here.

[@Cryogenics12]

The last edit I made was well before your comment. Your reading comprehension is pitiful.

[@cestarianinhabitant5898]

Respect should be earned is indeed reflective of the environment I grew up in as well, and I drew the shortest straw in that as a child, I was never respected. So I got to think about this topic a lot, and the answer I found for myself was to have a sort of base-level of respect, that everyone I do not know gets from me, those I don't like go below that level, those I really don't like sink to the lowest levels, those I do like get a bit above that base-level, those I "truly" do respect are even higher up. However, one of the things I've found influence respect a lot is politeness, it is easier to earn respect by being polite than by being abrasive, and similarly, it's easy to lose respect by being abrasive, but not by being polite (unless you are respected for your abrasiveness, which as far as I know is completely unheard of) I consciously avoid blatantly insulting people, unless I detest them, and I want them to detest me right back. Because I have found that if I want to be heard, words mixed with insults will fly right through one ear and out the other. Words mixed with positive feedback (e.g. on the things I actually do like about whatever the topic is), will be heard. So while I was abrasive once as well, I am not anymore. It's not about respect, it's about self-respect for me, and for me it disrespects my own person to throw insults at individual people unless I really just want to see them burn from the bottom of my heart.

[@knocks42]

Great comment!

[@antoncordell4490]

Cestarian Inhabitant Respect should be earned. You have an 'Innocent until proven guilty' attitude towards people you meet for the first time. That's a good way to be. However Linus has to respond to people he might never have met and only know of them from what they have written, many of which have proven undeserving of respect, just by their input. When Linus says "I don't know how he is alive when he obviously doesn't have the intelligence to find his mothers teat as a baby." It may be abrasive and not 'politically correct', yet accurate. He likes to call a spade a spade. It's not personal, but rather an analogy of how he sees someones understanding of a subject. It's a lot like being a manager sorting through job applications, you have to make quick decisions based not on the person, but rather what they have presented to you in their application.

[@cestarianinhabitant5898]

Anton Cordell Yup, that's right, but the difference is that I don't judge people by what they say as easily as I judge them by what they do. Writing a bit of bad code; what's the big deal? Doesn't make it a stupid person, just means he didn't do it well enough. Everyone can make mistakes, it happens to the best of us. He disrespects everyone until they have proven worthy of respect, it's a very negative way of life, and mentally unhealthy (I can't imagine this attitude makes him happy...) But as the lead Linux kernel maintainer and developer, I think his attitude might actually be a necessary evil. The kernel needs to be the most solid part of any Linux system, as the guy who makes sure it stays that way, being spiteful towards programmers that send him dubious or imperfect code is probably the right thing to do in the long run. Without this attitude the kernel would be a lot more messy and unstable than it is right now, with a lot more of broken or incomplete features.

[@halofreak1990]

@@cestarianinhabitant5898 The thing is, when you submit patches to the Linux kernel, you ought to know the rules, especially the ones that provoke his rants. So if you break them, don't be surprised if Linus rips you a new one.

[@catriona_drummond]

I see respect as a resource. I give everyone a bit of it for free when we first meet. Like a credit. And then they can either make more from it, or they can squander it. So yeah, great respect is mostly earned. A little respect is what we deserve by default. And no respect is the result of wasting it with one's words and actions.

[@atomheartother]

I don't think anyone will read this but for the record linus has changed his mind about this and admitted his abrasive behavior was problematic

[@nyrtzi]

And then after taking a short break continued to be about as abrasive as before. That too is old news. Then again the problematic part only seems to come out when some manage to piss him off by doing things that waste other people's time. I wonder how many people would actually even care if the clickbaity tech media didn't try to make a quick buck using this. To me it seems that people are conflating separate issues here and would need to be way more specific about what exactly they find problematic. Is it a problem that he gets pissed off or how he expresses that? Or do people have a problem with the meritocracy within the project? One way for people to avoid situations where they piss him off would be to think their ideas through better and possibly discussing them with Linus' "lieutenants" before taking those ideas to Linus himself. In other words just the normal process of vetting ones ideas before presenting the to the "boss" of the organization. Then again I assume that people normally have the common sense to do that and the incidents where Linus gets pissed off at having his time wasted are just the exception. But yes, I do understand that the way people react to someone messing up can have a chilling effect on the motivation and productivity of others. Then again it seems likely to me that this issue of poorly given feedback which is very common in all kinds of projects and work life in general is getting so much attention in this case simply due to how high profile a project the Linux kernel is and how the media wants to benefit from any incident.

[@changofaceanimations5402]

@@nyrtzi tldr: The media is twisting Linus' reasonable reactions to extremely toxic and incompetent people.

[@ShaferHart]

"changed his mind" lol he got pressured by his woke bosses to tip toe around the babies. I saw a comment from the lady involved in that brouhaha. It was obvious she didn't care about the project's present nor its future: she was just being destructive for destructiveness sake, like most sjws. I'm so glad Linus survived that effing bs.

[@based_demo]

Sadly he also let in PC culture into Linux.

[@Rogueixpresents]

Respect is earned.

[@ahmedfarooqui6896]

If respect should be earned, then does that mean you treat people with disdain until they show value as per your personal criteria? That sounds like arrogance.

[@LaepsynPaepsyn]

That's correct. But as he said, he grew up in a largely dysfunctional family, which probably made him see things from that perspective instead of accepting people as deserving common courtesy even when they make mistakes or aren't as accomplished as he is in his field.

[@CrazyFanaticMan]

Yeah I always felt this way about teachers. We were always expected to show them respect, but I only respected the ones who deserved it because there were alot of dickheads who let their position of authority get to their heads and they made me either hate school or hate whatever particular subject they were teaching because they weren't helping me learn the material

[@einarabelc5]

Would you respect Linus Torwalds under the same precept then? because that's what he's doing here.

[@CrazyFanaticMan]

@@einarabelc5 Well, he's not a teacher and I never had him as one. But if I ever have him as a professor one day, then I would definitely hold him under the same precept

[@MegaVRAK]

this applies across everything : )

[@CrazyFanaticMan]

@@MegaVRAK No, there are always exceptions to every rule. Take the creators of reese for example. Say what you will, but they will automatically always have my eternal respect and gratitude.

[@hiii4636]

I feel this way towards my family. They're expecting me to respect them when they're all unreasonable sons of bitches with short tempers. As i'm used to it, I often prefer to either laugh it off or ignore it, but motherfucker sometimes I just have enough of them because of how annoying they are. They expect me to think highly of them when even in the most minor of things, they would complain or mock me. Especially my mother and grandmother. I could still somewhat understand my mother's unreasonable-ness because she's been taking care of me for so long, but gosh my grandma is on a whole different level. It's like it runs on the fucking family line. It's a good thing i'm different from then and actually knows what PATIENCE means. Sorry about the curses here, i'm just genuinely pissed off right now as i've had enough of it once again for like the millionth time.

[@msolano00]

"respect should be earned" -> this is the way

[@Xalgucennia]

I think the problem here isn't so much about respect, but about civility, no matter how bad an employee is, insulting them, especially on a public mailing list is just sorta unprofessional. Having said that of course, it is hard to tell the context of the insult, based simply on the words, it depends somewhat on the relationship between the employer and the employee, and how seriously and belligerently the insult was meant

[@skullfucker3381]

Stop typing stupid shit it is things like this that fck over employees gullible dumb fuck.

[@frishter]

Skull Fucker And you wonder why you keep getting fired.

[@lyxar777]

Fuck PC.

[@Xalgucennia]

@zer0flag Even if they weren't paid, even if you work at a charity, basic standards of civility and professionalism still apply.

[@aldobernaltvbernal8745]

@@Xalgucennia there is a difference between raising money for children with leukemia and contributing to nogasm on github.

[@Raghudegaucho]

Who else is watching this in Sep 2018? It's the perfect reply to anyone bashing on torvalds today.

[@igorthelight]

Right!

[@aliedperez]

sadly I am...

[@snarkymcsnarkface1863]

I was there... but I am rewatching it... still agree with this Linus...

[@JK23-rj1if]

It's rarely acceptable to be nasty, and it's never necessary.

[@1408kishan]

"Respect should be earned. And without being earned, you don't get it." WORDS. Words of wisdom.

[@povelvieregg165]

A bit tiring how this keeps coming up. I think it is grossly unfair to Linus. A lot of this is as he says hyperbole and joke like. And these comments are in relation to technology discussion. I've never heard that Linus is a bully in a personal conversation. It is just words, he doesn't screw people over. A lot of sweet talking people who are backstabbers and ruining peoples lives in various ways. I never heard any story about Linus actually doing something mean to someone, the way Steve Balmer, Steve Jobs, Bill Gates etc have done. And honestly it does annoy me slightly that American's keep grinding on about this. One talks about being so inclusive, but yet American's act as if American sense of politeness, friendliness and proper behavior is universal. I had an American colleague who kept getting offended about everything. It was quite tiring for everybody trying to explain to him all the time that something was not intended as an insult and was completely neutral. I think Americans are far too concerned with superficial friendliness and politeness. Even when people are angry with you and are basically telling you to fuck of they will still continue to use "thank you" and "please" which becomes completely bizarre when their voice is telling you they are not being friendly at all. Just like people can be perfectly friendly and nice while swearing a lot. I'd say content and tone is far more important to show respect and friendliness. When an American customer representative drones away to me with a robot voice about how much his company values me as a customer and what a pleasure it was to serve me, I just find it really offensive because his voice clearly indicates that what he is saying isn't true. I am not Finnish myself but being a fellow Nordic I'd say Linus likely thinks the most offensive thing is being fake and dishonest.

[@kshinji]

"you are so stupid that I can't believe you found a tit to suck on" - makes me wonder how he ended up being a programmer not a stand-up comedian, this is prime, golden (oh and by the way, I would not be surprised if you didn't pick up on the sarcasm there, so yeah, it was sarcasm)

[@ShaferHart]

@@kshinji that actually is very funny lol. Find a sense of humor.

[@ShaferHart]

"I think Americans are far too concerned with superficial friendliness and politeness. Even when people are angry with you and are basically telling you to fuck of they will still continue to use "thank you" and "please" which becomes completely bizarre when their voice is telling you they are not being friendly at all." Bro, you fucking said it.

[@Tony_Goat]

These are not Americans, these are pansies you are talking about.

[@ice-rv7tz]

I really hate how the insult is taken with literally no context as to what warranted it. The guy getting insulted could've been a dumb fuck but we will never know (in this video at least)

[@nkumm]

Does anyone know what happened off-camera at 0:54 that caused that huge reaction?

[@bbuerk9193]

“Respect should be earned” in a vacuum is completely reasonable thing to say, but, if you look at the context of who Linus was disrespecting and why, you start to see the issue. He’s not just just saying “respect should be earned,” he’s saying “respect should be earned, and these people didn’t deserve my respect because I think they’re less intelligent than me.” Anyone involved in tech knows Linus isn’t the only person who thinks this way, and I think it’s one of the reasons so many people are put off by tech culture

[@SoundboundOfficial]

Oh no, they expect intelligence in a tech project, how dare they? We just wanna draw dinosaurs, and be respected doing it too!

[@finmat95]

@@SoundboundOfficial They expect THEIR level of intelligence, it's a different thing and you don't have to have it because even a normal person could contribute to the project otherwise you're arrogant.

[@salter1630]

@@SoundboundOfficial There is a difference between great respect and basic respect. To not be able to follow simple courtesy makes you out to be an animal with no dignity rather than an intelligent member of the human species.

[@sammysam2615]

You don't have to respect anyone but you definitely don't disrespect people either. Respect must be earned and never handed out.

[@Artaxerxes.]

It's either respect or disrespect

[@adisharr]

@@Artaxerxes. There can be a middle ground, it's not binary.

[@filipelimartins]

@@adisharr how?

[@adisharr]

@@filipelimartins Have a neutral opinion? How can you see someone walking down the street and respect them or disrespect them w/o knowing them at all? You can also respect someone for being a hard worker but not respect them in other areas.

[@filipelimartins]

@@adisharr if you leave someone alone you are respecting him

[@mark_makes]

What a fantastic answer to an interesting question.

[@aum6032]

Well giving respect and being courteous are two different things.. how hard it is to extend some fucking courtesy..

[@sebastianmalmsteen]

If Linus said to me "you should be retroactively aborted", I'd be laughing my ass off. Then I'd take the criticism and improve my work. I prefer honest and direct people like Linus a thousand times over the typical "boss" that I know that hates me, but just looks at me with a look of hate, and probably talks shit about me with others. I'd be glad to work for/with him

[@OverG88]

+Sebastián Aguilera It's ok if someone criticize in terms: "Ok, this is bad because of that and that and it you could fix it like this". But can criticism be: "What's this shit?". And that's what Linus does.

[@OverG88]

+Sebastián Aguilera It's ok if someone criticize in terms: "Ok, this is bad because of that and that and it you could fix it like this". But can criticism be: "What's this shit?". And that's what Linus does.

[@TarikGuney]

Why not working with someone who is both kind and honest instead of choosing just one? Your comparison is flawed. I would like to choose someone who does not shit talk to me when criticizing my work. It is simply an indication of immature character that will fail over time.

[@Yizak]

+Tarik Guney you hit the nail on the head

[@sbrazenor2]

I know I'm a bit late to the party on responding, since you wrote your comment 3 years ago Sebastián, but I have a different view of management. I have been a manager and I have been managed, and I have seen how people view their relationship with their managers and I have seen how their managers view their relationships with this staff. I find it funny that people assume that their boss must hate them, when I find that many bosses are actually concerned for their welfare, growth, and would be eager to see them successful. Case in point: I worked with a younger guy, who was about 23 years old. The average employee in the role that he was in was about 35-45, so already he's the baby in the group and you would assume that everyone would lack respect for him. Everyone generally liked him, but felt that he was a bit too nervous. His boss, that he assumed hated him, actually looked at him more as a son (he's about the same age as his son), and tried to get him to realize that when he had to write him up for things it was purely administrative. (He's a truck driver and when you hit something, it comes with consequences, even if you just tear a fender off on a large rock.) Eventually the kid had too many scuffs and he had to be let go. I talked to our boss after it happened and he felt sad about having to do it, because he liked the kid and wanted him to do well. He wished he was able to have had a better impact with the conversations that preceded his firing, so that he'd still be around. The short TLDR version: Your boss doesn't always hate you, if they're not berating you. Sometimes they want the best for you, but they just don't say it.

[@wooka64]

Agreed, in the real world we don't mean crap till we prove it.

[@grants5554]

cheers bro, in 2021

[@vammamies]

I fucking love this guy! :D

[@vammamies]

Tyler Zambori awesome!

[@CantSeemToThink]

I also 100% agree with Linus, we need more honesty rather than back slapping which IMHO is wasting energy, people should be less easily offended and more focused on the matter and what is right or wrong rather then their feelings being hurt. I wish there were more people like Linus rather than politically correct assholes that will get us nowhere in terms of progress.

[@___xyz___]

Ali Can Metan the Y is often very time consuming in the long run

[@___xyz___]

***** yes, you shouldn't ever insult someone over dissatisfaction, but it doesn't make the Ys any less cumbersome to formulate

[@___xyz___]

***** I don't know the context in the dispute. But I assume he (Linus) wasn't taking about UI. Anyhow, there always are people truly incapable of straightening their conduct to if so only soothe your sensitive intermediates. Torvalds, he the lance, the offender, stern. Some even rattle my earthcaressed scaffolds, so it bothers me, but in truth not.

[@muntoonxt]

The only constructive part about "Your code is not good enough to be acceptable as a patch because of X. Fix it" is the "X". In your "Your code sucks" example, you neglect to include X. Obviously, it is not constructive. (That's not to say that I would _personally_ go about it the way Linus does.)

[@hanro50]

Natural selection...

[@scranchmachine4572]

you see linus prioritises productivity over feelings

[@superharryboy]

Then why why invest time in insulting other people for a newbie mistake? Isn't saying "no, that's wrong" enough and way more efficient than writing an essay on how stupid the person is?

[@brianstorm597]

@@superharryboy It definitely is. Not to mention that the feelings of a worker directly influence their ability to be productive. Most of the time this kind of attitude is just an excuse to be an asshole and seem tough in the process. Either that or the person simply doesn't know any better.

[@melancholyentertainment]

Great points made in the replies here already. I’ll just add, productivity exists to serve humanity and by extension our feelings. Not the other way around. Productivity is not the be all end all of existence.

[@codycherrington2314]

Treat everyone with respect until they prove they don’t deserve it. Simple

[@Avenus112]

Baseline yes but beyond that it's a function of competence and contribution. He maybe takes it too far but that's because his opposite does so more.

[@spacebrain1944]

It's often a bad model in a society of single-interactions. And in a reality where people change.

[@n_x1891]

Try playing league of legends friend

[@Avenus112]

@@n_x1891 That game selects for antisocial bullies. That LoL is contaminated by jerks doesn't project out to the population.

[@n_x1891]

@@Avenus112 ah yes most popular game on the world only antisocial bully selection

[@dij3989]

a comment on a reaction video mentioned footage of this entire conference. Where is it?

[@lucasprimo5981]

Wow such a difficult thing to say "Your work is not good". Poor Linus

[@aliedperez]

Can someone send this to Linus?

[@CreativeVery]

Linus is my fucking hero.

[@saltyman7888]

#linusthuglife #btfo

[@hcloud]

His response is in a way like Finland in a nutshell. Say what you think and no more. If someone is offended, too bad. I hope to see a statue of him someday in Helsinki.

[@saltyman7888]

sz1234sz i should move to finland.

[@hcloud]

Long dark winters and crappy weather, dont do it :D If that is not a problem, welcome.

[@saltyman7888]

sz1234sz is finland right for me? I like cold, grey weather, being left alone, and working in a tech or engineering sector.

[@lashlarue7924]

I like Linus MORE for having come up with such great insults!! 🤣😂 I shall have to borrow those!! 😂😂👌👍🤩

[@Dennis-er8xc]

Respect should be earned.

[@StephenGlasskeys]

Imagine if Linus had played Mr. Nice Sensitivity guy with every idiot that tried to insert broken/stupid code into the kernel. We wouldn't have a working linux kernel today, that's for damned sure. Kids today need to toughen up and drop this social warrior nonsense.

[@kreynolds1123]

+Stephen Glasskeys "Imagine if Linus had played Mr. Nice Sensitivity guy with every idiot that tried to insert broken/stupid code into the kernel." Not all proposed changes are stupid or broken code, but just differ in design or philosophy or goal from Linus's vision. Like it or hate it, the Linux kernel is Linus's. And in the spirit of what Linus was saying one gets to chose people they like to work with, so If one don't like who he is working with, then he should go work on his own.

[@StephenGlasskeys]

+Keith Reynolds Agreed. *Everybody* knows Linus doesn't have a tolerance for nonsense, yet some continue to act surprised and shocked when he demonstrates his lack of tolerance for nonsense.

[@JohnDoe-mv6go]

+Stephen Glasskeys Everyone has the potential to one day contribute effectively, but if when they try to contribute they're berated for making a small mistake, do you really think they are going to even attempt to make another contribution?

[@stormdey9440]

+John Doe If all they see is 'being berated' instead of a team effort then it usually means they're too egocentric to see past the end of their own noses. The world needs more Linus Torvalds to flush out the pansies-asses who contribute nothing but waste valuable time on touchy-feely bullshit. Don't like the heat? Get out of the kitchen.

[@kreynolds1123]

John Doe "Everyone has the potential to one day contribute...." sure, but take that to an extreme, and youll see that it is ineffective because it take way too much time to audit every ones code. But given enough time, a thousand monkys could randomly type out the entire linux kernel code.

[@doorbash]

Like Software, people change too. Please don't judge a man now because of something he said years ago. The fact that Linus changed his attitude years after (in Kernel mailing list) makes me respect him even more.

[@danilodistefanis5990]

Marry him.

[@GC-qe8vc]

@@danilodistefanis5990 he's taken!

[@local.interloper]

Hi, have you seen the 6.0 related mailings? They're comedy gold.

[@tjitjo]

@@danilodistefanis5990 marry your right hand, oh wait its busy trying to jack me off but I keep slapping it away. begone, harlot!

[@untitled6981]

The merger of social skills and programming skills is a tricky one

[@adakcelina]

The tech boss so open-source, even his feelings are actually public. Thats dope.

[@harrypewpew901]

This just show that nerds are also bullies when given chance

[@areshera4039]

You look like you've never played the game Bully Scholarship Edition

[@Pikksaar]

He can treat people however he wants, but treating people like shit hasn't ever been the solution. We should all know by know that being mean only brings resentment inside the people you are mean to. Trying to be appreciative and supportvie brings in them a feeling of "I have to do better for this guy appreciates what I do and I don't want to fail him."

[@kairatkempirbaev7183]

@@KurtFrederiksen Extremely nice arguments. Calling somebody so stupid and incapable to feed himself. I really don't see any arguments in this growl.

[@kairatkempirbaev7183]

@@KurtFrederiksen You arguments are perfect as well. Will you cancel me now? LMAO

[@Savin97]

"Respect should be earned, Sweet, just like money"

[@KingLich451]

I'M HUNGRY

[@thegame3417]

@@KingLich451 Can I take your order please?

[@supersonictumbleweed]

Except respect is not a zero sum game.

[@eug_metta]

I agree respect should be earned, but those who haven't earned it should at least be treated neutrally and not actively insulted.

[@krunkle5136]

He does do that. He starts insulting people when they have ideas he heavily disagrees with.

[@murtajiz545]

@@krunkle5136 that’s not a cause for disrespecting someone though. That sort of thinking will land you in a *HEAP* of trouble in the real world. It’s important to remember that not everyone is Linus Torvalds.

[@jamegumb880]

Those insults sound like what my brother puts on forums and mailing lists.

[@JonnyTBooker]

Awesome respect should be earned

[@andressolar517]

this is common sense

[@collinmckinney6952]

People not having earned our respect in our own eyes is not the bar we should set for justifying our own disrespect towards them. That doesn't mean you owe them the respect of entertaining their ideas or opinions. It just doesn't justify disrespecting them due to differing ideas or opinions. This is the thought pattern that is responsible for everything wrong with society.

[@randomnumbers84269]

The more I find about this guy, the more I like him. Such a refreshing sight in this overly political correct and social justice warrior bullied culture we inhibit.

[@VenomousIncorporated]

+Turnipkin I agree, I do think he has Aspergers though. Maybe not, but I believe so personally. Either way he's what some people would call an Asshole, and I honestly like him for it.

[@nand3kudasai]

+Turnipkin i would rather be insulted 10 times by a guy with his experience that falsely praised by a guy that knows nothing and being fired after that because i made a mistake or did something not "politically-correct" whatever that means.

[@Thaden0]

I agree that things get way to 'pc'. But make sure to actually get the technicals here. Linus IS a hot head. He gets away with it because he's smart and in the father of Linux.. but he does ramp up to fast for what is otherwise a professional environment.

[@mrinvader]

+Jerónimo Barraco Mármol I would be positively honored to be insulted by torvalds! it would be the high point of my year!

[@nand3kudasai]

also, like the proverb says "better to be slapped with the truth than kissed with a lie"

[@beat461]

The more I find about this guy, the more I like him. Such a refreshing sight in this overly political correct culture we inhibit.

[@JohnDoe-mv6go]

+Johnnie Bassdrum What does bullying someone have to do with political correctness?

[@beat461]

+John Doe i wouldn't go as far by saying he 'bullied' some people. He just expressed his opinions in a derogatory way. That is simply not a politically correct thing to do.

[@JohnDoe-mv6go]

Johnnie Bassdrum Telling people he wishes they would have been aborted isn't bullying?

[@beat461]

John Doe Not in my book. Bullying is like repeatedly intimidating someone. this is just offending. Just words.

[@JohnDoe-mv6go]

Johnnie Bassdrum I don't see how publicly humiliating someone in front of their peers isn't bullying.

[@KB2OXR]

He doesnt bite his toung and I like that . And he is right , respect has to be earned .

[@LTS1287]

Yeah but that doesn't give a man cart blanche to treat people like garbage. Respect should be earned but its a two way street. Linus doesn't respect people because his ego has its own gravitational field. Its not like he wrote all that code himself. No achievement makes a man fundamentally better than anyone. Furthermore its elitists like him that turn Linux into a smelly little secret club for neck beards. At the end of the day its just software. Edit: Its been over a year since I made this post. More and more people keep adding to this. I have something I'd like to add. Yes, I understand Linus probably get a lot of shit code but to throw a temper tantrum because of it? That shows a really low level of self-actualization. Futhermore, to put up with that is to simply not respect yourself. I've had jobs with bosses on power trips and they're not even 1ppm as influential as Torvalds. I simply don't put up with people's shit! I've told bosses to treat me with respect and I've done it _RESPECTFULLY_. You know what the worse thing that's happened was? I worked at an automotive factory and some fat entitled woman had me mopping the floors. That's fine. She didn't break me. I mopped the damn floors and she was incredibly upset the rest of the day. Having a modicum of self worth doesn't make you egotistical. It part of what makes you a man and not a coward. Have some fucking backbone! If I was a project manager and I received bad code I'd highlight both the good and the bad points and have them fix their problems. You teach someone to code and you're giving them constructive criticism. Yes, I understand that Linus doesn't have that kind of time given the sheer volume of code he receives. Nor does he have enough people under him because its an open source project. I don't have a solution but cursing people out like a spoilt child is not solving anyone's problems. That's my opinion and I'm sticking to it. Read some things about positive reinforcement in the workplace. Remind people of their triumphs no their failures. They will always be more productive.

[@jeffcampbell8371]

LTS1287 Are you the respect police? Why the fuck do you care how he treats anyone else? You don't like it, leave it. Or do you just enjoy bitching about how other people are, neglecting the irony?

[@i4nix13]

Jeff Campbell LTS cares because he's right. The Linux Community praises itself through collaboration and people from different parts of the world from different walks of life and traditions working towards a common goal. Good leadership recognizes the differences and brings the best of both worlds together for the greater good. I believe in the Golden Rule and nobody I know likes to be talked down or disrespected, so why would I do that to somebody else? Why should anyone leave the job or community they love and have contributed to in some form or fashion because it's ok to not show anyone respect or common courtesy?

[@blackneos940]

So by telling those vile things to people, he should be respected.....? Because he just lost some of mine..... Though I'm sure he wouldn't care..... And I don't need him to.....

[@DevSolution]

LTS1287 "It's not like he wrote all that code himself" Well, this is true and it is also why this has become a problem. If he did write all that code himself he wouldn't vent on other people's bad code commits in his project. It is Linus' responsibility to make sure that code meets a standard that the project can benefit from, he likely goes through a ton of really bad code and have admittedly used this tactic to make sure that people think twice before giving him bad code. Could he be more diplomatic? Sure. But it is no secret how Linus opperates and yet there are ever more developers on and of linux not to mention users.

[@superharryboy]

So respect for Linus means "I won't attack your persona with insults because I deem you knowledgeable enough" ? If he doesn't find someone on par with his knowledge and skill level, his solution is to give them feedback on how mad he is at them for being a human failure. Yep, that seems very efficient and productive... Or it's just that he gets a dopamine rush when he insults people since he does it with a passion.

[@Wayne-wo1wc]

Such insults are not totally personal. Usually he gave feedbacks because those works have to do with his project. For a huge open source project, it is good to keep some kind of people away in a straiforward way if you think their work is harmful to the project. Such damages are usually hard to reverse and gradually accumulate over time for such a big project. Maybe the fact he is mean is one of the reason linux is successful.

[@stewiegriffin6503]

Can anyone tell me what kernel does without referring me to wikipedia page. And why they are developing it for so long ?

[@NateB]

Connects your hard drive to your CPU to your RAM to your video card so you can watch your favorite adult entertainment until you're blue in the face.

[@senseisecurityschool9337]

You know what apps (applications) are. The kernel is the thing that runs the applications. Whenever any application wants to do anything useful, it asks the kernel "please do this". The kernel knows how to actually do things, things like playing a sound through the speakers, or connecting to the internet. The kernel manages the ability to run two or more applications at once. The kernel is what says your video player app isn't allowed to reformat your hard drive. Maybe an application wants to "save a file". The kernel is the thing that knows what the heck "save" and "file" mean. The kernel knows how to take the idea of "save this to a file named boo.txt" and actually put the data on disk sectors 84673-84678.

[@benhbr]

I understand holding out on respect, but not being actively disrespectful.

[@mattizzle81]

ADMIRATION should be earned. Respect is just a default social courtesy. It can be revoked if they are really undeserving of it, but basic respect is a given in social settings. Online I know it is a different world though and it's easy to say things you wouldnt say to someone's face, at least not in the same way. In that sense the internet is antisocial.

[@asgoritolinasgoritolino7708]

Respecting everyone indiscriminately is respecting nobody, if you give respect as a default social courtesy it stops having meaning, at least that's how I see it.

[@Meatwad650]

@@asgoritolinasgoritolino7708 I definitely don’t respect you, idiot.

[@danimaster6647]

The problem is you really just can get away with saying stuff like that if you're the go to guy in that specific area. If you are the guy who is on top in that technology you can throw away all good manners and people will still accept it. However he might take the motivation away completely from this guys he's tearing down. He says to them that they aren't smart enough to code for his product and that can do harm to their self esteem. Better just telling them what was wrong about their work

[@Sirux7]

I can imagine if code needs to be written at this level of importance (Linux), you cannot start teaching people. You need to filter away those who are not good enough. That alone takes up so much time already. Though you can filter them with honest words about their skills while still respecting them as human beings and being thankful for their efforts to help.

[@_Verac]

There is no such thing as a "baseline of respect that everyone should get"; rather, it is cooperation that forms the bare minimum for people interacting with each other. Through this cooperative interaction, people can earn respect, which further shapes their attitudes towards each other in future interactions and communications.

[@Nino-dn2jz]

A good video showing that even the very smart have something to learn, even if it is very basic. Since the time of this video, I hope Mr Linus learned the difference between attacking the work and the person. To confuse respect and basic human decency and then dismiss the latter as a product of "political correctness" points to areas he should work on. Hopefully he shows by example as a person in positions of both power and prestige.

[@Mr.Nichols]

He's honestly very kind. He is sharing his genius self with the world without asking much other than for people to be more RESPECTFUL individuals, as many aren't. Respect is based on your value, not your existence. Maybe others can also see these without being so easily offended.

[@krunkle5136]

Respect is earned. The only thing people deserve no matter what is baseline civility, but beyond that a person doesn't by default deserve kind words especially if they're being a dick or being stupid.

[@maxwellsdaemon7]

There is a difference between bullying and mean spiritedness, and constructive criticsm. Stupid questions don't necessarily come from a place of malice.

[@mariomenezes5974]

It cuts both ways and I realize that. - Agreed. As simple as this.

[@jamieostrowski4447]

Except the problem is that all too often it is the people who know a little bit but think they know a lot and who want really badly to uplift themselves who are making the insults. They are playing off the presumption that because someone is bold enough to make insults then they must be knowledgeable.

[@mircopaul5259]

Even though you are probably right, this is definitely the wrong place for this comment. Linus is definitely one of the most competent people on Earth when it comes to the linux kernel

[@jamieostrowski4447]

@@mircopaul5259 That's true but we all know the power of influencing by example and the Dunning Kruger effect. While Linus is in a position to insult others, it doesn't mean he should.

[@ChrisP872]

Back in the day more of us liked a good roast even if we were on the receiving end and the roaster was someone like a mentor or that you respected. I still do but sadly a lot of people take roasts to heart when they really shouldn't. From the right person and context, a roast just means, DO BETTER. I think some of Gen-Z gets it again but many of the Millennials were raised thin skinned and fragile. Of course, in most contexts, roasting someone is rude and possibly hurtful. But in the context of Linus talking about someone wanting to put a mess into his Linux Kernel a roast might be just the thing.

[@aparisg9734]

He is right the respect Should be earned

[@childofnewlight]

I think the more appropriate word to use is "civility" or "decency." While respect may be earned, that is not justification for disrespect. You can be brutally honest to someone without telling them you think they should be dead. That's abusive.

[@ioannisvisvikis8157]

I would never want to have anything to do with someone like him.

[@triash]

Then better don´t work in a kitchen - i know, it´s not really comparable, but im pretty sure: at the end of the day Linus just wants some work done - how often did i felt the urge to yell at my colleagues "man are you fucking stupid or what" - but you can´t do that as an employee. Linus has the opportunity to work with people he likes / respects .. and he´s living the dream and tells most people to fuck off if they don´t do their job properly... because he can. I´m not like him because i think people TEND to work better with good motivation - but some just need some good old asskicking. You just have to reflect you actions and think about them - sometimes things can go over the top (like he admitted)... Beeing a "leader" is not easy at all - if it would be so easy, everybody could do it - but that´s not the case. You can debate about every "style" of leadership ... but i refuse to believe that you should sugercoat every action of everybody.

[@liamsnell5549]

Not surprised this question was asked by a Canadian

[@unruler]

Respect IS earned, the fact that it's considered polite to pretend to respect everybody even if in reality you don't, doesn't change that.

[@CodyeWatson]

Whether you think Linus is right or wrong can be summed up in this video - kzbin.info/www/bejne/oKO5p6qknZ6YgaM

[@Filaxsan]

Hero.

[@DennisMichaelB]

I like this guys old school attitude.

[@natureiswonderful205]

he is right respect should be earned

[@candidobertetti27]

I'm not a native English speaker. At 03:19 does he say "you can applaud" or "you can upload" anything you want? It makes sense both ways to me :D

[@Ryan-ok2ks]

"you can applaud everything you want". But you're right that he probably meant more "you can applaud anything you want".

[@electricalstuff259]

'I know i'm a dick, so sue me.' is what he means to say.

[@spence2]

i used to have the mentality that respect should be earned but ive grown up since then. everyone deserves respect by default, but they can definitely lose it.

[@jaredlara2850]

No, no one automatically deserves my respect

[@SoundboundOfficial]

Yes. Being stupid is a good way to lose it.

[@astrahcat1212]

Drug cartels, criminals, pimps, hoes, crackheads are not automatically deserving of respect. It takes time to earn respect.

[@daviddamasceno6063]

I think almost the same way as Linus. To me, everyone should be granted a baseline of respect, just to keep things civil, and any level of respect beyond that baseline must be earned. The baseline is also not permanent and must be reciprocated, otherwise your right to baseline respect is revoked.

[@colinmcdonald6003]

Linus should read How to Win Friends and Influence People.

[@beerus6779]

Machiavellianism is for the weak.

[@jasenq6986]

the masses should read the herd mentality

[@marvinpolo3180]

so if you meet someone new the baseline is being disrespectful unless they`ll earn your respect? man this dude did a lot for the world of software engineering but let's not study his moral compass.

[@Sykale]

That what sickens me. People like Linus and in this comment section don't seem to realize that respect works both ways. You can't just expect everyone to respect you from the get go without respecting anybody because you are special and your respect needs to be earned. Or rather, you can expect it, but that's not good or healthy behavior. At all.