This is mostly because mid-level dev needs to justify their existence in order to not get laid off or PIP and is worried about losing their H1B and having to up

This is mostly because mid-level dev needs to justify their existence in order to not get laid off or PIP and is worried about losing their H1B and having to uproot their entire family in 60 days notice. Hyper-optimized, hard-to-read code that only they understand is one way to increase reliance on them while giving a reason that can be put into a promotion doc. Mid-level jobs are worried about maintaining their job. That seems to be a matter of survival overriding ethics and professional pride. I know I came up with some really cringeworthy and complex solutions as a mid-level dev, but I would never have done it deliberately. If people are put into a situation where they need to purposefully write substandard code to not get deported, it's something that needs to be fixed.