Jeff Atwood in Elk: "In fact, the people who do love you are..."

I love making the LLMs own themselves, it is an absolute delight on every level. (Gemini Pro)

you're god damn right it is on brand, and oh by the way THIS IS STILL SYCOPHANCY GOD DAMN IT

So yeah, I don't recommending killing the goose that lays the golden eggs... in other words, the humans, the community that does the real work in that system. 🪿

And everyone in that community knew I loved them. Otherwise why would I have even bothered? Love isn't sycophancy. If anything it is the opposite: truth; honesty; respect. The first words Betsy ever said to me, and you can ask her if you don't believe me, were "You're doing it wrong!" and I LOVED THAT SO MUCH. I still do, actually.

In fact, the people who do love you are precisely the ones who will tell you when you're doing it wrong. Everyone else either doesn't care about you at all, or has already written you off as a total loss. You want love? Put in the effort. That's love.

February 13, 2026 at 5:46:26 AM