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This is an interesting argument for the (definitely common) pattern the author describes in the intro.

A more cynical take (that I'm inclined towards is): the median software developer is simply not very good. X10 was a good developer; the people on TEAM and TEAM++ were not.

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This is absolutely my take as well. I see the points that the author brought up as additional contributing factors. However, the leading reason for this “phenomena” is that many companies are brimming with individuals (including managers) that are simply not competent or motivated enough to meet the demands of this profession. In the author’s story, this is probably why X10 decided to leave the company, because they were tired of working with incapable co-workers.

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