Considering his own colleagues said the O'Leary you see on TV is the O'Leary you get in real life, I'd say his personality defects run deeper than just some character he's putting on. This is the guy who destroyed Mattel.
Brett Wilson has a different opinion than Arlene Dickinson. As does herjavec. There is some tv hype brought into it too.
As for Mattel, it takes two to make a deal. Sounds like O'Leary can negotiate a good deal over a giant. The internet destroyed Mattel more than anything. They read the trends wrong as software was going the way of the dodo bird when same can be had online.