I am reading an article but I am not able to understand the specific meaning of "despite all evidence to the contrary" in the paragraph below:
Our first bad boss has it all figured out, at all times—despite all evidence to the contrary. The manager we call the Know It All is also maddeningly stubborn.
See the full article that I am referring to.
I posted a comment on SteveES's answer, but I'll take his advice and add this as an answer. His answer would be correct for a literal reading of straightforward narrative. However, you need to be observant of the context and writing style of the article.
The article describes different types of bad bosses. It stereotypes the examples by using some exaggeration, and injects a little dry humor to make it more interesting and relatable. So you can't interpret it literally, you need to read between the lines a little.
I believe the meaning of the passage is actually the opposite of what a literal interpretation would suggest. He is a "bad" boss, but he has absolutely everything figured out at all times. Having things figured out would seem to be a good thing; if he was actually that astute, he might be a good boss. But no human is really that astute; having everything figured out to that extent is an obvious exaggeration and is meant sarcastically.
What the article is saying is that he's actually a bad boss who is clueless. "Despite all evidence to the contrary" refers to being contrary to the boss's self-assessment, reinforcing that he doesn't really have everything figured out. He is just full of himself and thinks he does.
The phrase despite all evidence to the contrary has a literal meaning that can be worked out from the meaning of its component parts.
Despite - without being affected by, or without taking any notice of
Evidence - the available information about something that proves or disproves an assertion
Contrary - the opposite
So we can rephrase it as: "without being affected by the information we have that is opposite to our assertion".
In your case, the first part says that the "first bad boss" always has "it all figured out". The "despite all evidence to the contrary" then means that it never looks like the boss has "it all figured out". In other words, the evidence at hand indicates that the boss is clueless, but in fact the boss "has it all figured out".
