I've seen something like this before. If a freelancer doesn't work as much as employees, they can cherry-pick what they want to do. I've seen freelancers excell

I've seen something like this before. If a freelancer doesn't work as much as employees, they can cherry-pick what they want to do. I've seen freelancers excellent at this cherry-picking. They can get a hell of a lot done because they choose the greenest of greenfield programming. Observe what the author says: • "It wouldn't work if I was the only developer working on the project." • "There are several other, more junior developers on the team who work more hours than I do." Yes, works better if you have power to set the direction, more bargaining power than employees, and have your voice heard more (perhaps due to more experience, or aggressiveness, etc). This isn't a condemnation; workplaces are inherently political, which means I play politics regardless of whether I admit it. (Also means I've needed to observe others' political games.)