tldr: Code needs constant updating, and a coder who hadn't originally wrote the code will almost certainly make distasteful and often incorrect modifications.

tldr: Code needs constant updating, and a coder who hadn't originally wrote the code will almost certainly make distasteful and often incorrect modifications. Ergo, code is worthless. editorial: Most devs with >5 years experience know this. The digitization of content made movies, music, books, and software all but financially worthless. Split-second, error-free replication has rendered the IP of so-called "knowledge workers" far less valuable (movie studios, recording labels, newspapers, programmers).