Pieter Hintjens is famous for being
a) a brilliant software developer, even as a young kid
b) a brilliant community builder and presenter
c) writing pretty pointedly and insightfully about psychopathy and its role in human interaction (I believe without formal education in the matter… a kinda Scott Adams approach.)
d) Being a bit of an abrasive grump.
The Discourse folks get some flak for being pretty… well the good word is pragmatic and the bad word is harsh, in their online communication, and I’d be surprised if he didn’t serve as some sort of role model for that. I don’t quite buy in to it, but I kinda get it: BSing for the sake of politeness softens your point.
Anyway I like Pieter Hintjens a lot and have a particular soft spot for him at the moment as he’s been an unequivocal badass in announcing his own terminal illness.