I don't think egolessness means not participating or taking the lead. See the point about not being the programmer who only comes out of the office for soda.

I don't think egolessness means not participating or taking the lead. See the point about not being the programmer who only comes out of the office for soda. If you take the lead and deliver good results, you can definitely be promoted, especially if you have good social skills. Also, people definitely notice when developers work on their own time to improve their skills. They may not say anything, but they notice, and that translates to promotions.