The "first"? I don't think so. Consulting engineers, lawyers, etc. have been around for a while; their productivity was always more a function of the individual

The "first"? I don't think so. Consulting engineers, lawyers, etc. have been around for a while; their productivity was always more a function of the individual than of their managers. The primary problem is that organizations seem to want to treat developers like other office workers, rather than as professionals. Oops, just saw someone else said this below. He is correct.