
Q&A with Ed Catmull - craigcannon
http://themacro.com/articles/2016/08/ed-catmull-q-and-a/
======
twerkmonsta
I used to really look up to Catmull, given all the research he did into early
computer graphics, but that wage fixing scandal [1] is just downright
disgusting. There is no way to look up to this guy, unless you get turned-on
by those kinds of immoral business practices.

[1] [http://www.cartoonbrew.com/business/pixars-ed-catmull-
emerge...](http://www.cartoonbrew.com/business/pixars-ed-catmull-emerges-as-
central-figure-in-the-wage-fixing-scandal-101362.html)

~~~
riboflava
Separate the work and the man and you can keep your admiration without having
to spend your time condoning or condemning everything else the man does you
disagree with. I think this is necessary for most historical figures (even
many living ones) given popular modern ethics. (Edit: with separation you can
also work with your coworkers professionally even if they have different
politics.)

~~~
kzhahou
No this is not about separating the work from the man. We're not talking about
personal stuff.

In his capacity as a senior leader of a major silicon valley company, he
actively worked to limit people's employment opportunities. That tarnishes his
record as a great leader.

~~~
santaclaus
> senior leader of a major silicon valley company

Pixar is in the East Bay, not the valley!

~~~
kzhahou
SV colloquially refers to the entire region comprising SF, the peninsula, San
Jose, and East Bay.

~~~
santaclaus
No, it does not. Try telling a Berkeley resident they live in the valley and
you'll get corrected hella quick.

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rsp1984
_The notion that a significant number of people in this country are drawn to a
sociopath is fascinating. ... Yet there are a large number of people that are
utterly missing the clues._

The thing is I don't even think Trump's a sociopath. A troll for sure but not
a sociopath.

I had the displeasure of meeting some real sociopaths in my life. The dumb
ones are easy to spot and typically end up broke and/or in jail. But the smart
ones are way, _way_ more subtle than Trump.

A smart sociopath typically aims to make you believe that they are the nicest
person in the world in order to gain your trust. Once they have it their goal
is to use it for their maximum profit while giving back nothing in return.
Lies and deceit are their primary tools.

Trump's not one of these. He's blatantly disrespectful and crude and quite
certainly lacks education, manner and values. But he's not trying to mislead
anyone about it. In fact he's pretty upfront about it. And that's what
separates the troll from the sociopath.

~~~
protomyth
> He's blatantly disrespectful and crude and quite certainly lacks education,
> manner and values

Yeah, Trump isn't a sociopath. He has a shtick which isn't unusual given his
profession. After listening to him, I don't think he's being deceptive, he ad
libs pretty consistently to the same beliefs.

I don't think Trump lacks education. He's not a stupid person and his family
had the money to get him a decent education which he took advantage of. I
expect the media to say he's stupid because they have never said any
Republican is educated or smart.

Mr. Catmull's line is one of those "I'm smatter than everyone else and see the
truth" lines often used in politics (and sadly, journalism). The common people
would think just like me if they weren't mislead (charitable reason) or stupid
(malice reason). He really isn't examining why Trump won the nomination, but I
wouldn't expect him too since he made his mind up already.

Of course, his own actions in regards to worker pay while at the same time
touting how important his people were might face the same accusations.

He was a hero of mine, then the scandal was revealed and there was no apology,
now he's been just another brick in the wall.

~~~
dtien
> He really isn't examining why Trump won the nomination, but I wouldn't
> expect him too since he made his mind up already.

Actually, I think he's getting at that very point in his statement. The
'sociopath' and 'missing clues' comment certainly frames it a certain way and
reveals his bias, but to be fair he does state in the very following sentence,
"What are the fears inside of them that get us to this place"

~~~
protomyth
I thought the fear line just reinforced the negatives directed at the voters
and his made up mind. Everyone has fears, but I think focusing any honest
enquiry of Trump's nomination on voter fear is just not looking very hard. It
neglects the history and attempted influencers.

------
nod
"So, the thing that is hard to do, that I try to do, is to come back and think
that everyone is trying to do the right thing, which I believe is the right
place to start. If someone’s doing something that doesn’t make sense, there’s
a reason for it and we need to understand their reasons. We make our best
progress when our efforts are to be empathetic and understanding of what’s
going on in other’s lives."

So, so true. I'll also recommend his book Creativity, Inc. - what works for
Pixar might not all be directly translatable for the software industry, but
there are some good lessons and experience (and entertainment) in there.

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throwanem
I'm happy to second the Hardcore History recommendation, because Dan Carlin's
work is absolutely brilliant. He combines a solid grounding in fact, a keen
eye for illuminatory quotations, and a strong narrative skill to produce the
kind of compelling historiography which you're rarely fortunate enough to
encounter in any context.

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anateus
His answer to "Is there any lesson you’ve had to learn multiple times?" echoes
one of the most important lessons I've ever learned.

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CamperBob2

       The notion that a significant number of people in this 
       country are drawn to a sociopath is fascinating. How do 
       people get there when other people look and say, “Oh, 
       clearly that’s a sociopath.” There are sociopaths in the 
       world but they don’t usually end up getting this far. 
       Yet there are a large number of people that are utterly 
       missing the clues. 
     

Yeah, and here's one of those clues: [http://www.cartoonbrew.com/artist-
rights/ed-catmull-on-wage-...](http://www.cartoonbrew.com/artist-rights/ed-
catmull-on-wage-fixing-i-dont-apologize-for-this-105855.html)

