Just have read numerous articles talking with him, or about him, he is always this way, and when I come across articles talking about him with his workers, or from their perspective, they say they don't like him, or dance around calling him and asshole. I have also seen screenshots of his social media showing him acting like an ass, and the general discussion accompanying them is that he is arrogant, egotistical, etc.

I couldn't point you to a specific place at this point, as I don't remember the news specifically, just the general information. However I don't imagine that it would take hours of digging to find it.

Here's an instance - lol 'instance'

I can see what folks mean by smug.

At the same time, I think he genuinely wants to provide the best experience and value for phone users.

As a OnePlus user before and after his involvement, and setting aside hardware differences, it's small but notable steps backward in Oxygen OS since his departure. OP now literally copys iOS for many parts of it's UI and I'm not a fan.

Either way, it's not like this is aberrent behavior or speech from any CEO.

"Tim Cook tells 16h day Chinese laborers to 'lick his balls.'" -is not a headline that would surprise anyone.