i think a lot of people like to talk about how they want the best, and it makes everybody feel good, and the 90%ers (already really good, top decile!) can't tel

i think a lot of people like to talk about how they want the best, and it makes everybody feel good, and the 90%ers (already really good, top decile!) can't tell the difference between them and a 99.9er because they haven't seen one before. also, "goodness" is multi-dimensional which confuses the issue further, its much more than raw coding chops, business domain knowledge is often more valuable. but it doesn't matter if people are unaware that they're not the best. software gets built, money is made, and people sort themselves into the type of job they're ready for. especially because ability to build a highly valued company is probably a seperate dimension of "goodness" than coding chops. and a more valued dimension.