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It's implied that it isn't easy to distinguish them during interviews. After they join your team, it's very easy to distinguish them.

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I've re-read the developer experience section, and I can't see where that implication is established. In that context, the paragraph stands out as an abrupt diversion from the main theme of the section, and undermines the argument of the entire piece. The section defines developer dissonance, and asserts that it's possible to overcome it with reasoned and sensible questioning. If it's possible to overcome dissonance with reasoned questioning, a hiring interview should a prime opportunity to roll out some reasoned questions and head-off dissonance before it enters the organisation in the first place.

I can't see how making that statement undermines the rest of the argument. It would help if you could clarify that relationship.

And I'm not sure I understand why, if you can't distinguish them, the distinction is unimportant. It's hard to distinguish an edible mushroom from a poisonous one and yet making that distinction makes a huge difference.

Interviews are definitely a limited tool to do so btw, this is only something that you realize over time. It's also very easy to play an interviewer if the interviewee's soft skills are better than the interviewer's (which happens often in this industry).

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