> And that's fine for most weird nerds. Being cordial and respecting of knowledge is all that's needed in the workplace.
Well, no it isn't. That was the point of the top comment in the chain: the commenter worked for Weird Nerd, found them insufferable, told everyone they were insufferable and that working for them sucked, and as a result the Weird Nerd's career has tanked because no one new will work with them. There really aren't many cases where you can Go It Alone without any support from anybody, even if you're brilliant.
I will maintain that being insufferable is largely orthogonal to being a Weird Nerd. You can be an obnoxious blowhard who is also largely insufferable. Most wns keep to themselves and don't seek out the limelight.
> that working for them sucked, and as a result the Weird Nerd's career has tanked because no one new will work with them.
We don't know for a fact that that's what killed their career. That's just the op's impression having worked with the person. The real truth is often muddy. And of course we've all met people who are extremely insufferable to their subordinates and peers but manage upwards very well and go on to very fruitful careers.
Well, no it isn't. That was the point of the top comment in the chain: the commenter worked for Weird Nerd, found them insufferable, told everyone they were insufferable and that working for them sucked, and as a result the Weird Nerd's career has tanked because no one new will work with them. There really aren't many cases where you can Go It Alone without any support from anybody, even if you're brilliant.