"in other words : his technical brilliance, in my own opinion, was a far larger boon than the problems stemming from having to deal with his knife-like personality."
One thing that is true in all successful organizations over time is that for any given person, no amount of genius will make up for being an asshole.
It may take time, etc, but eventually, it ends up a significant net negative for the organization.
The sooner folks are forced to deal with it, the better off the organization ends up in the long run.
It also turns out you can be effective at dealing with people and still be brilliant, and it usually doesn't take a lot more than spending more energy in being self aware and trying to see the perspectives of others.
One thing that is true in all successful organizations over time is that for any given person, no amount of genius will make up for being an asshole.
It may take time, etc, but eventually, it ends up a significant net negative for the organization.
The sooner folks are forced to deal with it, the better off the organization ends up in the long run.
It also turns out you can be effective at dealing with people and still be brilliant, and it usually doesn't take a lot more than spending more energy in being self aware and trying to see the perspectives of others.