I guess I don't understand the point of him. He's the perfect bad guy, yet they try to pawn him off as a good guy. He's handsome, arrogant, vindictive, stubborn, and has had success and fortune virtually handed to him via his family. Everything that would make a great villain that would be easy to hate. Yet they constantly try to make us like him. The whole scene where you saw all the scars from being abused/bullied? Didn't care. I feel absolutely no empathy for the guy, he has no redeeming personality traits or qualities whatsoever.
They should have played it up as Cameron, Gordon, Donna, etc succeeding despite him, he should be on the "losing" side of things. Heck, even the boss Bosworth who we are initially made to dislike became a more endearing character than Joe by the end of the season. He's much more likable.