If the DO was so inept at understanding humans, how did it get the forsaken to join him in the first place? Sure, he has a network in place now, but back in the very beginning he had to recruit people on his own. And he knew enough about humans to do that very effectively.



As you say, even though our minds work differently we still have a reasonably good idea. Especially if we have lots and lots of experience with pets, and the DO certainly does with humans. It has had literally Ages to study and observe human behaviour.

He may have trouble understanding the most complex and obscure things, but I have no doubt he was fully capable of understanding what would be Rand's most likely reaction to what Semirhage did.

I don't have a pet, but I can still predict that if I were to go and torment some hardcore attack-dog (a rough analog to Rand) I doubt the dog would act nicely towards me. And while thats a simplistic analogy, I am also not a scholar of the field. I googled "animal psychology", and it seems we humans know more about animals than you think. Just like the DO knows more about humans than you think.



They are also (other than Moridin) completely blinded by their greed for power/immortality and their selfishness. They see what they want to see. And this is something the DO seems to understand and take full advantage of.



Why did the DO fail to tempt LTT? Because it had nothing to offer to someone who unlike the Forsaken was smart enough to realise how utterly stupid it would be to join someone who wanted to blow up the universe. Someone who knew full well that any promises of the DO were deceptions and would not be fullfilled. How do you tempt someone when you have nothing real to offer, and your opponent knows it?

Failure to tempt LTT is not a sign of the DO being incapable of understanding humanity, but rather a sign of LTT being "incorruptible" and not wanting anything the DO had to offer.

There are countless examples of this in the history of the real world, with evil human dictators being unable to tempt and control everyone. That does not mean that they were aliens with no human impulses.

The DO may not have been able to tempt LTT or everyone, but he was able to manipulate enough of humanity to his side that LTT's side nearly lost. If he was as ignorant of human behaviour as you suggest, I don't think this would ever have happened. He would simply have told the world that he intended to destroy everything, and then be confused why all his followers were suddenly rejecting him.

For example, the DO knows full well that the Forsaken would reject him if they knew what he truly intended. So he keeps things secret and tells them only what they want to hear, things about immortality and becoming rulers and so on. He knows perfectly what they do want, and how to use those wants to control them. See for instance how he dangles the carrot of "Naeb'lis" ahead of them and uses that to make them do what he wants. That alone speaks of pretty good understanding of human behaviour.

Understanding what Rand would do when faced with Semirhage who had just tortured him and nearly used his body to kill Min, would be easier than that.