I see no reason to criticize people that compete in this sort of thing. No different than any other intellectual sport. I would be quick to criticize any claim

I see no reason to criticize people that compete in this sort of thing. No different than any other intellectual sport. I would be quick to criticize any claims that success in these sorts of competitions predicts success at delivering business value (which, unfortunately, is exactly what TopCoder's home page seems to be implying).