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Ever read or read about "Atlas Shrugged"? There's a strong strain of "I'm John Galt" in software development. "Everyone" thinks they're smarter, better negotiat

by sidlls 9y ago

Ever read or read about "Atlas Shrugged"? There's a strong strain of "I'm John Galt" in software development. "Everyone" thinks they're smarter, better negotiators, etc. and that a union would only hold them back.

matte_black 9y ago
In most cases, they’re not wrong...
- sidlls 9y ago
  They're not wrong in the sense that they're not even wrong (similar to https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Not_even_wrong https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Not_even_wrong, except in this context).
prepend 9y ago
I think this is in part because software is such a 100x type of profession. There are lots and lots of single person software companies. And there are startups doing with a handful of excellent programmers more than giant corporations. Since the work isn’t rote and the talent is super creative, this means it’s frequently better for the individual to not need a union. I’m sure there are other professions, but I’ve seen more copies of Atlas Shrugged on programmer bookshelves than other professions.
- ryanobjc 9y ago
  ironically many programmers ARE doing fairly rote jobs. And getting paid more than ever for it!
  - prepend 9y ago
    That’s true, but I think the rote programmers are making much less than the awesome folks. I’ve done a bit of hiring and it’s pretty common to have 50-75k salary bands for positions based on performance. That’s a huge swing. You the different between being a cog at AT&T or something making $75k and a profit center developer could be 150-200. This isn’t even accounting for all the entry positions at $40k and all the google stories of $500k after stock. I’m always surprised that BLS shows the average national salary to be like $80k.
    - sidlls 9y ago
      This is a pretty HN-bubble view of the software industry. I'm not surprised at all at a low (compared to SV wages) salary. The Bay Area (and similar metro areas) is an extreme anomaly in terms of developer compensation.
    - ShabbosGoy 9y ago
      > That’s true, but I think the rote programmers are making much less than the awesome folks. What do you define as rote programming? The interview process seems pretty rote to me. Literally the same questions recycled over and over again.
sjg007 9y ago
I call this phenomenon “adolescent” libertarianism.

by sidlls 9y ago

matte_black 9y ago

In most cases, they’re not wrong...

sidlls 9y ago
They're not wrong in the sense that they're not even wrong (similar to https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Not_even_wrong https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Not_even_wrong, except in this context).

prepend 9y ago

I think this is in part because software is such a 100x type of profession. There are lots and lots of single person software companies. And there are startups doing with a handful of excellent programmers more than giant corporations. Since the work isn’t rote and the talent is super creative, this means it’s frequently better for the individual to not need a union. I’m sure there are other professions, but I’ve seen more copies of Atlas Shrugged on programmer bookshelves than other professions.

ryanobjc 9y ago
ironically many programmers ARE doing fairly rote jobs. And getting paid more than ever for it!
- prepend 9y ago
  That’s true, but I think the rote programmers are making much less than the awesome folks. I’ve done a bit of hiring and it’s pretty common to have 50-75k salary bands for positions based on performance. That’s a huge swing. You the different between being a cog at AT&T or something making $75k and a profit center developer could be 150-200. This isn’t even accounting for all the entry positions at $40k and all the google stories of $500k after stock. I’m always surprised that BLS shows the average national salary to be like $80k.
  - sidlls 9y ago
    This is a pretty HN-bubble view of the software industry. I'm not surprised at all at a low (compared to SV wages) salary. The Bay Area (and similar metro areas) is an extreme anomaly in terms of developer compensation.
  - ShabbosGoy 9y ago
    > That’s true, but I think the rote programmers are making much less than the awesome folks. What do you define as rote programming? The interview process seems pretty rote to me. Literally the same questions recycled over and over again.

sjg007 9y ago

I call this phenomenon “adolescent” libertarianism.