That's interpersonally malicious. A selfish kind of malicious. Yes, quite bad, but it's not the scheming necessary of villain businessman.

It does go to show how all it takes is a person being given more power than they're accepting of responsibility for. Like most bad small business leaders or "entrepreneurs" especially, Linus became a boss before he internalized and processed his struggles as a worker. He quite directly fails to understand the power dynamics.

Remember: I still think he's unqualified. I'm merely pointing out the details of how Hanlon's razor applies here. He's a bit of a selfish, lazy nerd, unqualified to control the very business he built. Ahh capitalism. It truly rewards the most ~~qualified~~ callously shrewd.

I wish wisdom were a requirement of leaders.

At least the bare minimum of aknowledging reality would be nice...

But guys, Linus swears there’s no need for a union. He’ll just wield the power responsibly and with care, unlike all those other people.

This is not my thesis but someone else’s but as a counterpoint to this platitude, look at the difference between Lincoln versus Nixon. Both were leaders at pivotal times but they took very different ethical directions. Sometimes character and background DOES matter and we SHOULD expect more of our leaders. Just assuming they will all be corrupt makes up disengage from the process.