Devs A and B collude to convince manager M to fund development of the nonexistent tool. They use it to update the code base with confidence. Dev A supports th

Devs A and B collude to convince manager M to fund development of the nonexistent tool. They use it to update the code base with confidence. Dev A supports the new code. Dev B supports the tool. Dev B and sales S team up to sell licenses and migration support to other companies that use blb++. M pockets a nice bonus, and gives A and B 2.5% raises. When the corporate well runs dry, S moves on to something else, and B open-sources the tool. A and B get invited to blb++ conferences to earn peer recognition and prestige. They co-author a book, and then pocket a bigger windfall than M's bonus. A and B get hired by another company to support a fork of their tool. Then blb++ loses popularity, B goes into consulting, and A becomes the B' to someone else's A'.