The Dilbert Afterlife

Overall Reaction To The Eulogy

• Many readers found the piece unusually strong: sharp, often brutal, but still functioning as a real eulogy rather than a hit piece.
• Others felt the “I loved him, but…” structure was performative—typical of rationalist-style “both sides” writing used to make harsh criticism more socially acceptable.
• There’s disagreement on whether the affection in it is sincere or just a vehicle to talk about Adams as a cautionary case.

Adams’ Talent, Ego, And “Talent Stack”

• Several comments echo the article’s thesis: Adams was only world-class at one narrow thing (workplace comics) and largely average elsewhere.
• Others stress perseverance and experimentation: many failed businesses, but real hustle (Dilberito, apps like WhenHub).
• Some see him as overrating his own cleverness—physics “theories,” persuasion systems—classic smart-but-not-that-smart territory.

Dilbert’s Meaning And Continued Relevance

• People describe Dilbert as life-changing or at least sanity-preserving during miserable jobs; it validated feelings of being trapped under incompetent authority.
• Identification is recursive: ICs, middle managers, even executives see themselves as Dilbert and someone above them as the PHB.
• Disagreement on current relevance: some in cushy tech jobs say that world is gone; many others (finance, manufacturing, government, non-software STEM) say Dilbert’s bureaucracy and mismanagement are still their daily reality.

Work Culture: Cubicles, Open Offices, WFH

• Long subthreads reminisce about cubicles (either dehumanizing boxes or a lost paradise of privacy compared to open-plan benches).
• Open offices and RTO are widely disliked; “coffee-badging” and hot-desking seen as symptoms of modern dysfunction.
• Office Space, Dilbert strips, and other satire are used inside companies both as genuine critique and as oddly self-unaware “team-building.”

Management, Power, And PHBs

• Multiple frameworks discussed: Peter Principle, Dilbert Principle, Gervais Principle, “coordination headwinds.”
• Common themes: clueless middle managers as buffers, lightning rods, and status-preserving choices; smart but non-political people avoided or sidelined.
• Debate over why we tolerate or even need narcissistic, hyper-motivated leaders—“dopamine donors” driving lethargic systems vs parasitic elites exploiting everyone else.

Politics, Radicalization, And Social Media Feedback

• Commenters recount Adams’ Trump-era “master persuader” framing and later race controversies (“It’s okay to be white,” “not okay to be white” parsing), with sharp disagreement on whether this was principled or bigoted.
• Several suggest loneliness, wealth, lack of grounded friends, and algorithmic incentives pushed him into ever-more polarizing positions.
• Others insist he knew exactly what he was doing and “priced in” cancellation.

Gifted-Kid / Mediocrity Theme

• The section on “former gifted kid syndrome” resonated strongly: nearly universal experience of being told you’re special, then colliding with your limits.
• People see Adams as someone who couldn’t accept being “only” extraordinarily good at one thing—and his later life as a failed escape from that realization.