Leo Laporte Threatens to Fire All His Engineers After Throwing a Tantrum

File photo. 27 September 2007.
File photo. 27 September 2007.

On Saturday, September 3, 2016, at approximately 11:31 AM Pacific Daylight Time, Leo G. Laporte discussed his upcoming absence with one of his The Tech Guy segment contributors, Scott Wilkinson.

During this exchange, Mr. Laporte experienced some difficulties controlling the TriCaster video switcher from his in-office control station, resulting in a limited outburst of anger.

Lisa stomping on engineers with manly pose
Mrs. Laporte stomping on engineers after a tiring move to a new studio.

Lisa Laporte — wife of The Tech Guy Leo Laporte and CEO of TWiT, LLC — has been known to stomp on engineers on her Instagram account while stating “Yes, I have worn my engineering team out.” Mr. Laporte has only occasionally abused them.

Leo previously stated that TWiT has the “worst engineers in the business” and forces them to configure the in-house Windows Active Directory with a Leo’s House domain name. Additionally, he stated: “Fuuuuuck. I have explained this about a thousand times.” to his engineers during an attempted live-streaming event.

In this instance, in frustration, Mr. Laporte suggested to Mr. Wilkinson that he might fire the entire engineering department — which just finished moving him into his much-smaller studio — and start over. Mr. Wilkinson appeared to be amused at the prospect of this occurrence, as he is by many things.

Correction: An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated the event’s date as 2015. It has been corrected to 2016.

52 thoughts on “Leo Laporte Threatens to Fire All His Engineers After Throwing a Tantrum”

  1. He was praising his staff saying they worked their butts off in getting things moved into the shoe box studio a week earlier. They are either the worst or the best in the business from one week to the next according to soup.

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  2. Firing your engineering staff is not going to make your stuff “work”. If you have no idea how to use things then you shouldn’t get frustrated and you shouldn’t exactly fire the team who’s at least keeping some of your personality secret.

    P.S. Your joke was terrible; saying it in a light-hearted manner does not mean that the seriousness of it is negated, if anything you look like a fucking madman.

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    1. You have a hard on for me, Bern?

      Meh post. It wasn’t an outburst of anger. That was frustration and a joke he shouldn’t make to his audience. There is better stuff you guys miss.

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        1. If I thought you’d do the story properly, I would. I’m not interested in reading someone is fat, ugly, etc. I’m interested in reading about how they blew their journalism efforts by getting facts wrong or contradicting themselves. That’s what I want them to get right, and scrutiny there may have them improve.

          The bag of fucks I have to give about personal comments is very light for it is empty.

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          1. The claims of better things to write about seem dubious without examples. The fact is, we operate 90% on user tips now. We ask for tips because that’s how stories get generated. We don’t actually watch TWiT most of the time, so we rely on crowdsourced contributions of their failures. Sometimes people are nice enough to send in pre-made videos or media as well.

            Keep in mind, the site’s various servers cost quite a bit of money and time to operate, and not one cent of revenue is generated by the site. Our motives are pure.

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          2. Leica Lens said:
            The claims of better things to write about seem dubious without examples. The fact is, we operate 90% on user tips now. We ask for tips because that’s how stories get generated. We don’t actually watch TWiT most of the time, so we rely on crowdsourced contributions of their failures. Sometimes people are nice enough to send in pre-made videos or media as well.

            Keep in mind, the site’s various servers cost quite a bit of money and time to operate, and not one cent of revenue is generated by the site. Our motives are pure.

            Like hosting with go Daddy? I highly doubt you have a dedicated server for this site

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          3. Lol. Dubious. You could simply say you rely on tips and leave it at that. Because someone doesn’t tell you about something doesn’t mean it didn’t happen.

            If you reported in a way I thought was accurate and about criticizing their journalism I’d give you those tips. But no way will I send any tips if you are going to insult them personally based on appearance or similar irrelevant minutia.

            I had some hope. You’ve mostly on track a few times. To write less is to say more.

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  3. He clearly has anger management issues. It must be a tough job market since they are sticking around. That, or maybe you get branded in the industry if you work for that guy.

    Anyway, it must be tough to get crap like that when the root cause probably is that Leo installed bonzi buddy on the tricaster.

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  4. I don’t know if anyone caught the Apple Event live-stream yesterday but it was a disaster. The audio from the event drowned out any of the commentary from Leo, Megan and Andy. During a few moments he could be heard cursing, and he tore into the board op a few times.

    The ship is sinking, and damn it I don’t blame him. Look at Lisa in that picture! God almighty! Let Jason host all the fucking shows while I suck on her toes and lick her asshole!

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    1. Actually, at least the commentary was generally more restrained during this Apple Event UNTIL some of the most important parts about the iPhone. Then they started drowning out the presenter, showing and talking loud about their stupid Bingo cards. During the rest of it Andy Inako was probably more annoying than Leo – I think Leo got his meds correct that day.

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      1. Andy Ihnatko is a wind-bag.

        This clip here seemed to reflect the fact that the studio is not done but they have to leave on some planned vacation because Lisa had it in the schedule that the studio was going to be done earlier and they would have been in it long enough to shake out the bugs. But no. Leo knows the bugs still need work and they are going to leave too soon and abandon the unfinished operation leaving everything to chance and cock-ups which are sure to take place. The whole operation might be subject to a walk out, then what happens?

        Leo is potentially fucked because Lisa has to have another vacation for her psycho kid. Does Leo ever take HIS children anywhere?

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        1. TechTV has-been said:
          Andy Ihnatko is a wind-bag.

          I met Ihnatko in a professional setting a few years ago, and was forced to spend about an hour in the same space with the guy. He NEVER shut up. Just flat-out dominated the discussion the entire time.

          Also, the few times somebody else managed to get in a word that even slightly contradicted what he had to say, he dismissed them as if they were ghosts.

          Basically, I was left with the impression that he’s the sort of guy who doesn’t think his shit stinks.

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  5. Leo is a text book Narcissistic Sociopath. There is a absolutely no doubt about it.

    Profile of the Sociopath

    Glibness and Superficial Charm
    Manipulative and Cunning
    They never recognize the rights of others and see their self-serving behaviors as permissible. They appear to be charming, yet are covertly hostile and domineering, seeing their victim as merely an instrument to be used. They may dominate and humiliate their victims.
    Grandiose Sense of Self
    Feels entitled to certain things as “their right.”
    May state readily that their goal is to rule the world
    Pathological Lying
    Has no problem lying coolly and easily and it is almost impossible for them to be truthful on a consistent basis. Can create, and get caught up in, a complex belief about their own powers and abilities. Extremely convincing and even able to pass lie detector tests.
    Not concerned about wrecking others’ lives and dreams. Oblivious or indifferent to the devastation they cause. Does not accept blame themselves, but blames others, even for acts they obviously committed.
    A Sociopath is always “pitting” people against each other. My Sociopath
    Smear Campaign: A Sociopath will always be smearing someone and inciting people against each other. Sociopaths do not want people to like or get along with each other and will try to “divide and conquer.” They will say odd things to people in the social group: “She doesn’t like you” or “She doesn’t want me doing anything with you.” My Sociopath
    Sociopath has a strange network of Support People ranging from “consultants,” to skilled-workers, to enabling co-dependents that back him up when he wants to go after his Target. Most of the Support People have their own Psychological problems. My Sociopath.
    No conscience. Lack of Remorse, Shame or Guilt.
    Believe they are all-powerful all-knowing, entitled to every wish, no sense of personal boundaries, no concern for their impact on others.
    The end always justifies the means and they let nothing stand in their way.
    Shallow Emotions When they show what seems to be warmth, joy, love and compassion it is more feigned than experienced and serves an ulterior motive. Outraged by insignificant matters, yet remaining unmoved and cold by what would upset a normal person. Since they are not genuine, neither are their promises.
    Incapable of real human attachment to another
    Does not perceive that anything is wrong with them
    Authoritarian
    Secretive
    Paranoid
    Drama King: There is always conflict going on in a Sociopath’s life and it involves a “bad person,” “bad business” or “bad transaction.” My Sociopath.
    Callousness/Lack of Empathy

    Profile of the Narcissistic Sociopath

    People with narcissism are characterized by their excessive and persistent need for others’ admiration and positive reinforcement. They generally have grandiose opinions of themselves and believe they are superior to other people. Narcissists are also frequently convinced that they are above the normal responsibilities and obligations of everyday life, so they usually have significant difficulties maintaining employment or relationships as a result.
    The narcissistic sociopath has this type of personality along with a noticeable lack of regard for the rights of others and a tendency to regularly violate those rights.
    One noted difference between a narcissistic sociopath and people with narcissism alone is that:

    The narcissist with the sociopathy reacts strongly and sometimes even violently to negative feedback. True sociopaths generally do not respond to criticism or care what others may think of them.
    A narcissistic sociopath is unable to tolerate criticism and needs constant praise, as well as deference from other people. Many with this condition present themselves in the best light possible and are able to easily charm others to gain their trust.
    http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-narcissistic-sociopath.htm

    THE MALIGNANT PERSONALITY: These people are mentally ill and extremely dangerous! The following precautions will help to protect you from the destructive acts of which they are capable. To recognize them, keep the following guidelines in mind:

    (1) They are habitual liars. They seem incapable of either knowing or telling the truth about anything.

    (2) They are egotistical to the point of narcissism. They really believe they are set apart from the rest of humanity by some special grace.

    (3) They scapegoat; they are incapable of either having the insight or willingness to accept responsibility for anything they do. Whatever the problem, it is always someone else’s fault.

    (4) They are remorselessly vindictive when thwarted or exposed.

    (5) Genuine religious, moral, or other values play no part in their lives. They have no empathy for others and are capable of violence. Under older psychological terminology, they fall into the category of psychopath or sociopath, but unlike the typical psychopath, their behavior is masked by a superficial social facade.

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  6. Leo thinks being an asshole behind the scenes makes him exempt of contempt. No, Leo. You are a dislikable jerk. We are the club of people who recognize it. Out of the thousand that watch the live stream, hundreds agree, you are an ass. That’s a large percentage. You should maybe look at yourself.

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  7. I’m kind of torn here. There’s no lost love for anyone that supports the dysfunctional enterprise that is TWIT and that they lick his boots just makes it all worse. Yet, I can tell you it is a tough job market in tech these days . Now add in slave wages and skills that don’t transfer and if you’re living in Petaluma and working at TWIT you’re trapped in low rent wine tour backwater that is Petaluma. Meaning you can’t even get a Fry cook job at the local Denny’s if you quit because Leo knows everybody at ALL the restaurants ….if you know what I mean.
    So pity or persecute those poor engineers but the real issue is and always has been Layo and Leeeeesa.

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    1. digital dynamic; you are increasingly becoming a favorite of mine. I would suggest getting off of Blogger and onto something that allows for more flexibility with comments (no way anybody’s going to use a G+ account to comment)…

      If you did that, I would leave you more comments and praise… There needs to be more warriors starting their own anti-TWiT blogs.

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      1. Mr. Percy said:
        digital dynamic; you are increasingly becoming a favorite of mine. I would suggest getting off of Blogger and onto something that allows for more flexibility with comments (no way anybody’s going to use a G+ account to comment)…

        If you did that, I would leave you more comments and praise… There needs to be more warriors starting their own anti-TWiT blogs.

        Thanks. Funny thing is that I originally started the blogs on WordPress as in wordpress.com. I don’t like how light the comments are either and it’s annoying that people are forced into G+ accounts just to have an opinion.
        If I can afford some decent hosting and get adsense and Amazon to work on a non-google property I’d move it tomorrow. I don’t make a mint and don’t overload the page with ads but they can bring a little bit of revenue which helps. Although in a year that only comes to about as much as a night at the movies with a friend so nothing great…
        Amazon is there more for a convenience than anything else. I use the search ads. I try to tailor those to the content but in 3 years I’ve never made a dime off them.

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  8. Well, I’m not always the biggest fan of Leo… especially when he goes off on his ULTRA-ULTRA-ANNOYING bragging of his cruise ship adventures.

    But… if I was given a new technical job position with Leo Laporte, the first thing I would do is make ABSOLUTELY CERTAIN EVERYTHING he uses at his desk, during live broadcasts works like a charm.

    If something doesn’t work, and I wasn’t able to get it to work reliably, I would send him an urgent update to that effect, and consider bringing in a 3rd party briefly, to solve that particular issue.

    This is what any decent technical/engineering team should absolutely do in any organization.

    So ya… I have to say, based on this, in a few other things I have seen, Leo’s engineering team may need a swift kick in the @ss (even though they may have already worked their @ss off during the move: that’s the nature of tech support of an engineering crew: the job is never done, until EVERYTHING is working for the top boss, and then you work yourself down the line…)

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    1. Truth…everybody elses workstation can go to shit, but you gotta make sure the top dog has his in working order. Especially when he is 90% of the revenue or whatever their claim is.

      The only thing about Leo’s little tirade above is that it looks like he was trying to wake it up, like the machine was asleep for some reason…He definitely went over the top and was an ass.

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  9. God DAMN is he a narcissistic loser.

    Why haven’t his employees killed him and dumped his body in the hills? Seriously, one less sociopath and the world is a better place. What jury would possibly convict?

    He’s just such a dick.

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    1. macsimcon said:
      God DAMN is he a narcissistic loser.

      Why haven’t his employees killed him and dumped his body in the hills?

      Turning Basin… Dump his body in the Petaluma Turning Basin. Same body of water OMG Chad almost died from inhaling water from… Giving his all in the name of tech.

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  10. If I was the it team I would make FatFuck stupid fill in a ticket for work needed

    fatfuck flipflops praising his staff like he flipflops with gadgets n companies

    Some fucking tech guy you are LaFuck
    Your just another fake dj who kept getting fired from gigs
    banging the mouse on the desk shows the world what a spoiled petty 6yr old brat you are

    keep one eye open when you sleep fatFuck cause one day ManTranny aka CeHo or her walking abortion will do a Lizzie Borden on you

    fatfuck LaPork read that bill Cosby is legally blind now you two have a lot in common
    – you both sexually abuse women
    -you must be blind not to see Yoko is a ManTranny
    -your both washed up has beens

    fuck you fat fuck
    how do you like that

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  11. If he wants to fire the entire engineering staff, then that means he would fire Alex, one of the few people that actually know what the hell they are doing and was actually a better host when I visited the House of Dick Pics than Leo was.
    Since Leo isn’t known for thinking out things, he would fire Alex. Alex in turn would get a raise, respect for the work he does, and find out that he just escaped hell.

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