I think the author slightly misses the point in the "why do they do it" section. People do it because being a software engineer, at least in US tech companies,

I think the author slightly misses the point in the "why do they do it" section. People do it because being a software engineer, at least in US tech companies, is one big pissing contest. People, even if they're being nice, are just constantly trying to demonstrate technical prowess -- technical superiority over others. That's how you get respect and that's how you get promotion.