Edit: I just wanted to point out the weird power imbalance and tension that arises from these 'your boss is your best friend, but not' kinda situations, shouldn't have used "autistic" for this...
I didn't read as "it's my boss" tension. Rather, not everyone has experience in giving a presentation on camera live in a professional setting. And then you can end up looking like that on camera. Because that wasn't really a gaming session, even though they have stylized is as one. For Larian that was a sales pitch.
I don't even know what filter you guys are using to parse reality but I would urge you guys to look for a replacement.
I've never gotten the impression that Swen was doing anything except for playing a role and that the people involved are there voluntarily and that everything he is doing and saying is tongue-in-cheek. It's got to be a nice break for them to be able to dress up, play out a couple of skits with props and costumes in front of an audience of about 10-15k people. If somebody didn't want to get involved I am sure there are plenty of other people happy to take their place.
I agree, though I think most of the panel, e.g. as throwing a character from a ledge with a spell, was scripted and planned for. That's why they already had so many saves prepared, since they were playing a dev build, just in case a game-stopping bug happens.
