He was asking them to implement an LRU cache in C, hardly newfangled stuff. Plus they were kernel engineers, so it was supposedly their domain of expertise. I d

He was asking them to implement an LRU cache in C, hardly newfangled stuff. Plus they were kernel engineers, so it was supposedly their domain of expertise. I don't think he was suggesting that programmers have to keep always up to date with the latest trends. I think the main issue he was pointing out was programmers finding their skills being dulled because they were spending all their time maintaining old code instead of seeking new challenges. So it's like if a doctor was treating the same patient, and only that patient, for the same disease for years. But then again, you never know, they may not have been very good engineers to begin with. But also, people in high-prestige professions do pursue professional development every now and then by attending conferences and training courses. The only difference is that it's on company time and their companies pay them to do it.