>Stop being an asshole, and find non-assholes to work with.
I think the process of realizing he needs to do that and doing it is what he's describing in his article. Generally people don't open up about how their behavior is toxic unless they recognize it as a problem. And, though my experience with Russian culture is limited, I understand that competitiveness and criticism is the rule, at least in the STEM fields there. So this guy has been behaving the same way (most) everyone else does, but now he's realizing it's bad and trying to fix himself. I don't think he deserves the criticism he's getting in the comments here. We all start somewhere, and trying to improve should always be encouraged.
We are all products of our environment/the past. Things change when someone says "I don't like what I've become and I don't want to be this way anymore."
Those folks often get undue criticism, especially if they choose to speak up in hopes of fostering positive change in others.
I think the process of realizing he needs to do that and doing it is what he's describing in his article. Generally people don't open up about how their behavior is toxic unless they recognize it as a problem. And, though my experience with Russian culture is limited, I understand that competitiveness and criticism is the rule, at least in the STEM fields there. So this guy has been behaving the same way (most) everyone else does, but now he's realizing it's bad and trying to fix himself. I don't think he deserves the criticism he's getting in the comments here. We all start somewhere, and trying to improve should always be encouraged.