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For every Steve Jobs there are a million assholes who can be replaced by warmer, equally talented characters.

Steve Jobs was fired ... and look what happened to Apple while he was gone. Good parallel? Probably not, but it isn't a unique situation.

There wasn't anyone nice to replace him.

Having the company depend on one vital asshole is a worst-case scenario.

I'd rather have a vital asshole, than be missing the vital component altogether.

He's a dick, not an asshole. South Park explains the distinction in their epic musical.