This article focuses on 'hermit' programmers as employees, but I think ultimately that type of stereotyped character is now as likely to become a small business

This article focuses on 'hermit' programmers as employees, but I think ultimately that type of stereotyped character is now as likely to become a small business owner. With all of the benefits of efficiency and the cloud mentioned in the article, such lonesome characters can now put together their own SaaS or similar sorts of high margin services/products (such as infoproducts, data, or semi-automated consultancy) and make a reasonable income, and most customers don't care whether it's wired together with tests, refactored properly, or what not. It does require at least enough business, marketing, and communication skills to sell their work, however, but even this is becoming an easily reproduced or outsourced skill nowadays.