Good post, but I just wanna jump on one tiny point of this out of context and say that pair programming (if done cleanly) is actually amazing for skill transfer.
Before you disagree, consider how many other professions have pair-working in any shape or form. Is there any pair-management going on? How about pair-assembly line working? Yes, multiple people work on an assembly line - but they are performing different tasks, not just checking up on each other in real time, 8 hours per day! People work in teams, I get that, and it requires interaction between team members. But name me one team where there are two people permanently assigned to literally the same task, with no goals other than 'improving efficiency'. It's just amazing that anyone would put up with that.
I assume assembly line workers also pair work while the new worker is getting up to speed.
At any rate, the more you're working in a large team, the less your programming should be "an intensely personal task". We have style guides for a reason...