I like to state this in the inverse, as the engineer's paradox: "A good engineer believes their purpose is to solve their problem so effectively that their posi

I like to state this in the inverse, as the engineer's paradox: "A good engineer believes their purpose is to solve their problem so effectively that their position is no longer relevant to the organization". Which leads to the corollary that, over time, all good engineers are eliminated from an organization (or are re-homed to a new position where they aren't as effective, until they do become effective, in which case they are re-homed again). An alternative resolution of the paradox is that if every engineer solved their problem such that there were less problems than when they started, there would eventually be no more need for engineers.