Linus has also recently expressed his view of Nvidia
Linus Torvalds Gives Nvidia the Finger. Literally
Linus is an opinionated, and very straight-talking person... And very qualified.
Just like most of people who make the difference are. Think Steve Jobs...
This style of communication is very effective, based on scientific research.
As described in (very good) book "Switch
Being very polite does not do it.
Suggested 3-step process to "influence people":
- Direct the Rider. What looks like resistance is often a lack of clarity. So provide crystal-clear direction. (Think 1% milk.)
- Motivate the Elephant. What looks like laziness is often exhaustion. The Rider can't get his way by force for very long. So it's critical that you engage people's emotional side—get their Elephants on the path and cooperative. (Think of the cookies and radishes study and the boardroom conference table full of gloves.)
- Shape the Path. What looks like a people problem is often a situation problem. We call the situation (including the surrounding environment) the "Path." When you shape the Path, you make change more likely, no matter what's happening with the Rider and Elephant. (Think of the effect of shrinking movie popcorn buckets.)
Linus did exactly what is needed with GitHub: he provided very specific opinion, made it public so it can not be ignored, and suggested how to improve solution.
