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Comment by steve_taylor | Hacker News Reader

After 10+ years working in software project teams of various sizes, the thing I want more than money is to work solo. No peers. No project managers, product owners or scrum masters.

Working in a team is extremely frustrating. It's like artists working together to produce a portrait. No matter how good the artists are, the process would be mired in conflict and compromise and produce a mediocre result.

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I'm not a developer, but work as a consultant in a digital agency. I mostly help define what is going to be built, and why. I can relate to what you're saying.

There's no one true way of doing things, but I'm pretty certain doing it in teams is more often than not a wrong way. The mediocrity of the end result is very frustrating indeed. It's as if one and one become 0.5 instead of three.

Does this not imply that your "way" is the "correct way"? As frustrating as teams, peers, and different stakeholders are, they make the thing we are building better. Yes, group think doesn't produce the best results but it is no worse than someone building something in solitude without outside input.

> Does this not imply that your "way" is the "correct way"?

Not at all. There are many ways to get the same job done. Ideally, the best ideas would win. In my experience, however, the hierarchy always wins and creativity is punished.

> it is no worse than someone building something in solitude without outside input.

In a solo dev project, outside input comes directly from stakeholders.

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