i think the author's point was a bit subtler than most of the comments here give him credit for; he just clouded the issue with the unfortunate word "jerk". what he's describing is a high-performing, brilliant person who, when he doesn't agree with the new direction the company is taking, neither leaves nor realigns himself, but spends his time and energy trying to drag things back around to his preferred vector. however productive he might have been, he clearly has at least the potential to be a net drain now.