Availability bias tends to make these discussions confusing.<p>Jerks are memorable.<p>They create drama, which draws attention. There's a reason soap operas and reality TV have a generous supply.<p>In any case, luck matters more. Without adoption, without growing up in California at the dawn of the information age and without meeting Steve Wozniak, Steve Jobs would've been a jerk nobody had heard of.
I would say that CEOs are straight forward and have visions. They say something "stupid" = all people think that the CEO is a jerk. I would say that CEOs shouldn't care too much about what other say - they should follow their vision, which will make them "jerky".
I don't think anyone can be a jerk all the time and be successful. Probably the key is selective jerkiness. At least until you make it. Then you can probably be a jerk as much as you like. (Not sure it's required though).