Does Software Culture Reward Failure?

I don't think that software culture per se rewards failure, but rather that emergent behavior in large groups, particularly corporate IT groups does reward some failure.

If you, as a manager, can't point to some failure, and the resulting heroics to get the system back up, then you, the manager, can't stand up in a meeting to receive pats on the back and "atta boys".

Of course, it's a narrow window. Too many failures, and you get in trouble. Too much smooth sailing, and you have too many people, and your empire gets shrunk forcibly.

This article explains a lot about a problematic programmer I've had the misfortune of working with. Although he presents the air of a "great programmer", it's actually because his architectural abilities are absent. Given a small project, he'll do a good job of it-- and very fast, since he doesn't care about things like unit testing. Given a large one, he'll make a mess that even he can barely sort out. I can see how, in some environments, he'd look like a hero for being able to tackle supposedly complex problems (although it's his terrible coding habits that make such problems seem so complicated).

I hate hate hate "rockstar" programmers (and, yes, the Kefka-style "hate hate hate" is appropriate).

I also think there's an inherent mismatch between management and technical people regarding how to present the difficulty of one's work. Managers want to present their jobs as easier than they are, because it makes them seem smooth and astute. At least some technology people have a habit of overstating the difficulty of their work, in order to make their efforts seem heroic.