I'm not sure why that means you need to insult the people you work with. It's a symptom of power more than correctness, because you wouldn't address board members or investors that way, and presumably one wouldn't treat clients this way either.
Some workplace expressions emerge with the cover of power.
So sure, if you're working for Steve Jobs or Linus Torvalds, identify that fact and know the tradeoff you're making. But then they better deliver like so.
I agree in the case of a gratuitous insult, but look at the lead sample from this article:
"My job compelled me to read the lede on your story; nothing can get me to read the rest of it."
To me this is a good insult, because it gets to the exact business reason that the editor has with the story in an admirably concise way. If a reader doesn't like the lede, they stop. The paper is less compelling so people by fewer of them. So this is a case of a boss being unkind, but direct and informative. He's making his point in a memorable way that has a good chance of improving the reporter's value. So it's kind in the long run.
So sure, if you're working for Steve Jobs or Linus Torvalds, identify that fact and know the tradeoff you're making. But then they better deliver like so.