Scott Adams Dies at 68: The Complicated Legacy of Dilbert

Remembering the creator of Dilbert, its global impact on office culture, and the controversy that ultimately reshaped his legacy

I long found comfort in Scott Adams’ work, from the Dilbert comic strip to his books, and it is with genuine sadness that I reflect on his death at age 68. For many readers, myself included, Dilbert perfectly captured the quiet frustration of white-collar life, using sharp, accessible humor to expose the absurdities of modern office culture. Adams had a rare talent for turning cubicles, pointless meetings, and incompetent bosses into universally relatable satire, making Dilbert a daily ritual for millions of readers around the world. Unfortunately, his later political statements deeply alienated much of his audience, including me, and ultimately overshadowed the work that once brought so much laughter and connection.

At its peak, Dilbert was a global phenomenon, appearing in nearly 2,000 newspapers across more than 70 countries and 25 languages. The bespectacled, mouthless office worker with the perpetually curled red tie became an unlikely symbol for employees who felt ignored, overworked, and unheard. That cultural reach made the strip one of the most influential workplace comics of all time. However, Adams’ racist remarks led to Dilbert being dropped from syndication in 2023, marking a painful and controversial end to an iconic comic strip. For longtime fans, it was deeply disappointing to see how extreme views tarnished a legacy built on wit, observation, and insight.

While Scott Adams’ fall from prominence may have seemed sudden to casual observers, longtime readers noticed a gradual but unmistakable shift in Dilbert’s tone. What once felt like sharp workplace satire slowly grew darker and more divisive, reflecting Adams’ increasing embrace of misogyny, anti-immigration rhetoric, and racism. Even so, Adams publicly dismissed his fall from grace, writing on social media in 2023, “Only the dying leftist fake news industry canceled me (for out-of-context news, of course).” That response only deepened the divide between Adams and much of his former audience.

As a frequent second-hand bookstore shopper, you start to notice clear patterns. Almost immediately after Scott Adams was canceled, more of his books began appearing on used bookstore shelves. In the world of publishing, music, and movies, that is often the unmistakable sign of cancellation: when an artist’s work suddenly floods the market of descardment, it signals a sharp cultural fall from favor.

Following his death, former President Donald Trump described Scott Adams as a “great influencer,” posting on Truth Social that Adams “was a fantastic guy, who liked and respected me when it wasn’t fashionable to do so,” and praising him for fighting a long illness. That endorsement has understandably sparked strong reactions, and many readers are uncomfortable with it. I try to keep politics out of my website, but the cultural and political divisions surrounding Scott Adams are impossible to ignore. Even a once-beloved comic strip like Dilbert ultimately became a reflection of how polarized the conversation has become.

While many will never forgive Adams’ views, and understandably so, it remains impossible to deny the lasting impact Dilbert had on workplace humor and popular culture. Scott Adams has gone to that big cubicle in the sky, and one can only hope he has finally found the peace that so often seemed absent in his later years.