There's this attitude I've seen on HN that I can't stand, which is something like, "a real software engineer knows how to create business value." It pops up in

There's this attitude I've seen on HN that I can't stand, which is something like, "a real software engineer knows how to create business value." It pops up in discussions on this topic a lot, because teamwork is essential to business value etc. But what it always seems to mean is, "shut up and do this stuff you hate." Everyone knows that guy who is insufferably arrogant who hates to work on teams, but there are legit reasons to hate teamwork, business value be damned. I've definitely enjoyed working on some teams more than others. I think for me at least it boils down to whether I trust my teammates to get the job done. If I'm working with people who know what they're doing, teamwork is fine. But if I'm working with underperformers, be they clueless, lazy, whatever, teamwork is awful. Not just because I have to pick up the slack, but because I'm constantly worrying about the slack that I'm picking up. Figuring out which bits I could possibly trust to an underperforming teammate is more effort than just doing it myself. An exception to this would be inexperienced teammates. Lack of experience is fixable, although there is something of an art to picking good projects for getting them up to speed.