I can't speak for anybody else but for me, it's a conscious choice. I don't see it as a big deal. Words like "over-the-top" and "epidemic" seem a bit hyperboli

I can't speak for anybody else but for me, it's a conscious choice. I don't see it as a big deal. Words like "over-the-top" and "epidemic" seem a bit hyperbolic, don't they? For whatever it's worth, I certainly don't think we're going to solve gender disparity merely by flipping a few pronouns. But what's the harm? I also added it for comic reasons. Imagine incorrectly assuming that the female programmer doesn't have chops or isn't "serious" about programming - and then you see her writing code like she's flying a fighter jet. At least to me, that was a funny case of confounded expectations.