Another at-least-as-valid perspective is that there is so much shit software because developers feel the need to flex their cleverness and end up making a mess

Another at-least-as-valid perspective is that there is so much shit software because developers feel the need to flex their cleverness and end up making a mess of overly abstract code that can't be safely modified or extended. These developers think other developers have a moral duty to spend time understanding their brilliance, and that anyone who writes simple, flat-footed, readable code is inferior.