Let's be real here for a moment. Software engineering, in general, is the most thing-oriented profession available. It attracts people who are incredibly thing-oriented. Most lack the want or ability to manage other people. This double track is specifically to give prestige to people who are amazing engineer but also can't look strangers in the eye.
Most engineers are bad at engineering too. That's just the natural distribution of all professions. Managers are not special, their incompetence is just felt more directly and viscerally.
To be honest, he did fine given the context, but Linus had some issues that would have quickly jeopardized his managing career in almost any companies.
I do not think this is true at most big companies. I have had plenty of managers who are as disagreeable as Linus. At least Linus is usually correct, not true of many managers who no longer understand the technical details.
In recent years, even Linus realised that it was a problem with Linus and took steps to fix it.
There's no way in hell any of us would be ok with our managers treating us the same way Linus treated other engineers. It worked because he's a genius and he controls the Linux project. You had to play by his rules or not at all. Google doesn't have the same advantage - it's not the only game in town.
I am not intimately familiar with Linus beyond his product Linux and his famous rants, so I can only grant you his aspy-ness.
I think Linus's handling of the Linux kernel is an excellent example of stellar technical leadership in a parallel track. It is what technical companies should look like. Engineers do their thing without worrying about administrative tasks like HR bullshit, salary negotiations, hiring, firing, and fights over who makes the coffee.
To be fair, the majority (vast majority?) of people who get paid to work on the kernel do in fact have to endure HR bullshit, salary negotiations, etc.; they're just doing it with Intel HR or Qualcomm HR rather than Linux Foundation HR.
