The Evolution and Decline of Dilbert: A Look at Scott Adams' Legacy

Scott Adams, the creator behind the famous comic strip Dilbert, has passed away at the age of 68 after a long fight with prostate cancer. His ex-wife, Shelly Miles, shared the news on a livestream. At its peak, Dilbert was a daily read for 30-40 million people. It poked fun at office life and the weird language bosses use. Over the years, Dilbert made a lot of money from books, TV shows, and merchandise. Adams came up with Dilbert while working in management jobs in San Francisco in the 1980s. The comic followed Dilbert, a shy engineer, and his struggles with coworkers and his boss, who loved new management trends. The strip started in 1989, right when the tech industry was booming. Adams' humor hit home with people trying to make sense of the 1990s workplace. Dilbert's success led to best-selling books, a TV show, and tons of merchandise. But over time, the comic's tone changed. Adams started to focus more on his personal views, and the humor became less about laughing together and more about complaining. Dogbert, Dilbert's smart dog, started giving long speeches that felt more like opinion pieces.After the 2008 financial crisis, Adams' political views became clearer. Dilbert went from making fun of office life to criticizing experts, the media, and institutions. The humor became more aggressive, and the comic's message shifted. Adams became one of the first to support Donald Trump's presidency, which alienated many of his readers. In 2023, Adams caused controversy by saying that Black Americans were a “hate group" based on a poll. This led to Dilbert being dropped by many newspapers and publishers. Adams claimed he was attacked by a “woke mob, ” which made him even more popular with Trump supporters. Last year, Adams revealed he had prostate cancer and asked Trump to help speed up treatment for a new drug. Trump responded supportively on Truth Social. Today, Trump posted about Adams' passing, calling him a “great influencer. ”