> Programmers tend to think that programming is the most important part of making software. However, managers think that managing is the most important part of

> Programmers tend to think that programming is the most important part of making software. However, managers think that managing is the most important part of making software, and business analysts think that defining business requirements is the most important part of making software. Asking a room of programmers about the value of business analysts is going to result in feedback that is heavily biased. As you say, we've invented a narrative of moral superiority, and it's a seductive one. This is all true. However, you forgot this additional piece: Managers and business analysts generally sit higher in the organizational chart than programmers, and thus have an advantage when negotiating salaries, presenting the programmer's relative value to the rest of the organization, etc. > The value PM's provide is enabling specialization of labor. They act as the interface between business stuff and tech stuff--translating business requirements to tech requirements for their programmers, and tech trade-offs into business trade-off for their stakeholders. It's something that programmers can do themselves (especially entrepreneurial ones), but taking that work off their plate lets them focus on technical matters. However, many would argue that translating abstract business requirements into technical requirements is a technical matter. That said, the notion that programmers always make less is not universally true, and many organizations are more sane about paying commiserate with value generated.