I think you're hitting on part of the real pleasure of software development here. Software is the real world. You can't negotiate, you can't beg, you can't bull

I think you're hitting on part of the real pleasure of software development here. Software is the real world. You can't negotiate, you can't beg, you can't bully, you can't do any of those human interactions to make it work. If the code doesn't work, the problem is almost certainly between the keyboard and the chair. As such, it's very rewarding when we get it right. We're displaying mastery over our environment. The book Shop Class as Soulcraft, by Matthew B. Crawford, goes into this extensively. He's talking about more physical labor, but I find the substance applies to software as well. (And although I love the book, you can save a lot of time by googling his original essay, which is a much shorter and more concise read.) Crawford argues that labor against physical reality, as opposed to human interaction, drives both intellect and morality. It's a key to living an ethical life.