> In a past role, I got into a debate about code style with the smartest person I've ever worked with.
As other said, maybe these guys aren't as smart as you think they are and they may be difficult to work with. It's hard to say with a couple of anecdotes. Also, they could be good at some things, and yet take bad decisions for other things.
If I were you, I'd try to make my point in a non-conflictual way with rationale arguments and listen to their point of view. Eventually, follow what they say if they're strongly opinionated and have more seniority than you, for the sake of moving forward and avoiding conflict over minor things.
If you really think the issue is important, you can also try to open up the discussion to more people in the company. Like write a proposal to enforce better coding style through the use of code formater (or give a short talk), gather feedback and try to reach a consensus.
But I think I'd let it go. Eventually, you will switch team or company, work with different people, and also be better a determining who you want to work with or not.
As other said, maybe these guys aren't as smart as you think they are and they may be difficult to work with. It's hard to say with a couple of anecdotes. Also, they could be good at some things, and yet take bad decisions for other things.
If I were you, I'd try to make my point in a non-conflictual way with rationale arguments and listen to their point of view. Eventually, follow what they say if they're strongly opinionated and have more seniority than you, for the sake of moving forward and avoiding conflict over minor things.
If you really think the issue is important, you can also try to open up the discussion to more people in the company. Like write a proposal to enforce better coding style through the use of code formater (or give a short talk), gather feedback and try to reach a consensus.
But I think I'd let it go. Eventually, you will switch team or company, work with different people, and also be better a determining who you want to work with or not.