If we assume every one-on-one transaction is a zero-sum game, and if we assume the salesperson aims to gain, then the buyer necessarily loses.

While not every transaction is zero-sum, nearly all those being shoved in our faces daily are.

The irony is most programmers are aware their software is a solution looking for a problem, and rely on their own salespeople to win the game they despise. It's not hypocrisy if we do it.