I had the opposite reading. It feels obvious he's creating a caricature, some of which is exaggerated, some of which is truthful of not just him, but other developers.

The recounting of "bullying"/hazing on forums definitely resonates as well, and he's just remarking that he'd become what he'd hated.

This is more of a reflective piece rather than a glorification of his behavior.

>> My personality today isn’t my disease. It’s a disease of the whole industry... just stop being that. It’s quite easy, actually.