Sometimes it's better to be a cult than a mass organized religion.
Seriously, if you actually read the philosophy, it's extremely logical and sensible. I would expect it to resonate with most engineering-minded people. Basically it's just: be realistic about things, base decisions on logic and not emotion, demand high standards, strive to get better all the time. What's the problem? In most competitive disciplines -- e.g., pro sports -- people value harsh feedback so they can improve. Why isn't this the case in most American businesses?
Personally, I'd rather be a part of an organization like this than a part of a typical large firm, where there's constant politics, gossip, and rampant realization of the Peter Principle (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Principle).
Seriously, if you actually read the philosophy, it's extremely logical and sensible. I would expect it to resonate with most engineering-minded people. Basically it's just: be realistic about things, base decisions on logic and not emotion, demand high standards, strive to get better all the time. What's the problem? In most competitive disciplines -- e.g., pro sports -- people value harsh feedback so they can improve. Why isn't this the case in most American businesses?
Personally, I'd rather be a part of an organization like this than a part of a typical large firm, where there's constant politics, gossip, and rampant realization of the Peter Principle (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Principle).
Dalio responds to a lot of similar criticism in a letter to Dealbreaker when his document was first leaked last year (http://dealbreaker.com/2010/05/ray-dalio-explains-his-princi...).