Snakes in suits
by Paul Babiak, Robert D. Hare · first published 2005
89% recommend11% neutral
Why HN recommends it
Explores how psychopathic traits show up in corporate workplaces, focusing on manipulative people who advance by lying and exploiting others rather than through violence. Accessible and useful for spotting them at work.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
Let's say you're about to hire somebody for a position in your company. Your corporation wants someone who's fearless, charismatic, and full of new ideas. Candidate X is charming, smart, and has all the right answers to your questions. Problem solved, right? Maybe not.Psychopaths may enter as rising stars and corporate saviors, but all too soon they're abusing the trust of colleagues, manipulating supervisors, and leaving the workplace in shambles. In Snakes in Suits, corporate psychologist Dr. Paul Babiak teams up with psychopathy expert Dr. Robert Hare to focus on the psychopath's role in mo
Affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Mentions per year
What Hacker News says
Related books
2013The wisdom of psychopaths
Kevin Dutton
Recommended by 1 · mentioned by 31 recommend · 3 mention1 recommend · 31 recommend
2011–2023Without conscience
Robert D. Hare
Recommended by 8 · mentioned by 98 recommend · 9 mention8 recommend · 98 recommend
2011–2024The Psychopath Test
Jon Ronson
Recommended by 15 · mentioned by 2715 recommend · 27 mention15 recommend · 2715 recommend
…to prison for assault but they will lie, cheat and steal their way to any goals they may have. For further reading on psychopathy read anything by Rober D. Hare, the dean of the field. I can recommend Snakes in Suits: When Psychopaths go to Work
on “Wisdom from Psychopaths?” ↗…are unable to empathize, then they can't be trusted to act responsibly. Many sociopaths seek power precisely because they like exploiting people. If you're interested further in the topic, try reading Snakes in Suits or The Psychopath Test. Similarly, we shouldn't give people with peophillic issues power over small children. Broken people deserve our support, and we should work to heal them. But in doing so, we…
on “CEO complaints : employee not motivated after being fired” ↗I haven't read it, so I can't vouch for it, but Snakes in Suits [1] is a frequently recommended book on this subject. [1] http://amzn.com/0061147893
on “The Neuroscientist Who Discovered He Was a Psychopath” ↗You will probably find the book "Snakes in Suits" enlightening: http://www.amazon.com/Snakes-Suits-When-Psychopaths-Work/dp/... You know those charmingly manipulative psychopathic serial killers? It turns out many people like that just aren't violent.…
on “HP takes a $8.8 billion writeoff, alleging Autonomy accounting fraud” ↗…pathologically lie, and even dumber* investors that throw money based on signalling/stories and not facts/prototypes/verification of any kind of anything. That's pretty much it. Much better literature would be 'Snakes in Suits' and 'Without Conscience', both by Robert Hare, the guy that has created the psychopath checklist (the tool used to clinically diagnose psychopaths, like a psychopath test). I highly recommend both of…
on “Alex Gibney on the Fall of Theranos and Elizabeth Holmes” ↗A book recommendation: Snakes in Suits: When Psychopaths Go to Work by Babiak. Lots of good material on recognizing the situation. But once you do, the advice is simple: get out.
on “Managing your boss: adjusting to narcissists, 'ghosts,' gaslighters” ↗About psychopathy and manipulative behavior at work, you can read about this here: "Snakes in Suits: When Psychopaths Go to Work" ISBN: 978-0061147890 "The No Asshole Rule" ISBN: 978-0-446-52656-2 The rest is my own prescription of how to detect and fix the problem. We have the technology.
on “Netflix wants managers to ask whether they would rehire their employees” ↗Relevant reading for those that are interested: Snakes in Suits: When Psychopaths Go to Work - http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0061147893?pc_redir=1395239748...
on “What I Learned Negotiating With Steve Jobs” ↗With the caveat that I have no ability whatsoever to diagnose psychopathy, I nevertheless found the book Snakes in Suits[1][2] (TLDR notes[3]) to be a fascinating and accessible read on the topic. At some point in each of our careers, particularly for readers of HN, we will likely encounter individuals that exhibit the…
on “Are people with dark personality traits more likely to succeed?” ↗…where the research is pointing, after decades of anecdotes. One of the main instruments for diagnosing psychopathy is the HARE checklist, as in Robert D. Hare; guess what Hare's latest book is called? _Snakes in Suits: When Psychopaths Go to Work_. Yeah. (I could finish by accusing you of baselessly accusing your opponents of twisting psychology to fit one's worldview, but I don't think most people would appreciate…
on “Can You Call a 9-Year-Old a Psychopath?” ↗