When Leaders Ignore the No Asshole Rule

Tue, 16 Jun 2026 00:00:00 -0400

There’s a pattern I’ve watched play out in more than one organization. From a distance it looks like high performance. Up close it’s something else.

A strong engineer – relentless, demonstrably capable, the kind of person who ships when others stall – has the ear of the CTO. The project is high-stakes. Delivery feels close. And the closer it gets, the more the engineer’s behavior gets defended, smoothed over, accommodated. Process is bypassed because process is slow. Other teams who push back get reframed as obstacles. Guardrails that applied yesterday no longer apply. The CTO, who is genuinely well regarded, has decided that this is what it takes to win.

Tech Debt on Rough Edges

When Leaders Ignore the No Asshole Rule