>I mean, isn't feedback from developers the main source of info available to a manager? Then why is that feedback routinely thwarted or ignored in so many plac

>I mean, isn't feedback from developers the main source of info available to a manager? Then why is that feedback routinely thwarted or ignored in so many places? You make it seem like developers aren't giving feedback. Most places I worked at, at least 1-2 developers in a team of 7-8 were passionate enough initially to provide feedback. Then their feedback gets shot down repeatedly for no other reason than "low priority". What do you think happens to people who have to make a conscious effort to document such issues, articulate them and provide potential solutions? They figure "you know what, this isn't worth the effort, it won't get picked up". That's valuable time they could spend coping with their frustrations instead of hopelessly tackling them head-on. Managers are held responsible because when we speak of managers, we're not just talking about middle managers. We're talking about all managers, including the executives. If those executives prioritize short term sales over long term company health, don't be surprised when your ICs follow your example. If you're a leader, set the example you expect others to follow. >What if "What ifs" are primarily exceptions. How about we tackle the vast majority of cases where short term financial gains are prioritized over long term company health? That's where the feedback matters most for passionate ICs, and that's where feedback is waved away the most. >Trying to pretend that the role of a manager is a Dickensian figure whose purpose in life is to rain misery on developers You're the one claiming this. Don't take us all as not understanding the point of view of executives. Understanding doesn't mean agreement, nor does it mean the chickens won't come home to roost someday. If you consciously decide it is worth making your codebase a complete mess for short term gains, don't cry when in 5 years, all that's left is a bunch of jaded developers only in it for the money wondering why it takes them ten times as long to fix something trivial.