Being empathic is different from "understanding people".
Psychopaths and narcissists often have a good understanding of many people, which they use to manipulate them, but psychopaths and narcissists are not what most people would call "empathic".
They dont understand people. They understand how to control people, which is completely different from the context of building products that people want - which requires an understanding of peoples tastes and preferences.
> which is completely different from the context of building products that people want - which requires an understanding of peoples tastes and preferences.
Rather: it requires an understanding how to manipulate people into loving/wanting your product.
Psychopaths and narcissists often have a good understanding of many people, which they use to manipulate them, but psychopaths and narcissists are not what most people would call "empathic".