I think that there are two things going on that sort of cause this: 1. Everyone knows that computers make everything faster better and cheaper [1], so there is

I think that there are two things going on that sort of cause this: 1. Everyone knows that computers make everything faster better and cheaper [1], so there is a lot more proliferation of jobs that are code factory type postions, not problem solving in the same way. You have to look harder to find the exciting stuff. 2. We are in a part of the research cycle in which the work is not in core computer science/programming research but in mapping those techniques to other domains, so a lot of the exciting work is CS and $X rather than pure programming, so to get the excitement you need to find a domain $X where you also are excited. Also, people change over time, so perhaps the author is just getting bored and should consider looking at new roles or careers, this is not bad, it's just a natural effect of personal growth. [1] for properly defined values of everything, better, cheaper and faster