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> I've yet to figure out how to replicate this in software.

while substantially different in nature (defined by mission), both marines and army have the same principle: it’s your job to learn the job of your superior (because if they die, you need to be able to take over) - a principle that applies at every rank.

I think that applies quite well to SWE.

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Too bad then when someone who doesn't have any underlings but whose job is crucial dies.

If a single person is the sole bearer of incredibly critical information it's a failure of the organization to insure itself against risk and possibly a failure of the individual to properly express the amount of specialized knowledge.

I think tech companies are pretty good about this though, since the whole meme around "bus factor" is well understood and broadly discussed.

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