I assume that observation applies to more than just front-end development. At least I've personally seen the effect more generally. I think another self-intere

I assume that observation applies to more than just front-end development. At least I've personally seen the effect more generally. I think another self-interested actor is the "nobody ever got fired for buying IBM" manager, except that, today, it's not IBM. IBM has, of course, been replaced by whichever technology is currently in high repute. They need never gain technical knowledge themselves. Granted, in some cases, that's actually a case of legitimate delegation to their engineers (whose conflicting interests you've addressed), but, since they have the same access to the Internet as everyone else, that can't be assumed. > And since self interest is involved the arguments become needlessly charged. I hadn't fully considered that until now. That isn't to say that I'm not a cynic, but, rather, that, for example, the average HN commenter may not want to come to terms with having, even to a slight degree, such self interest. That can lead a form of needlessly charged argument, defensiveness, that wouldn't necessarily be obvious otherwise. In a professional setting, it can lead to seemingly-irrational decisions in the face of overwhelming evidence that the other way is better.