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> Giving a damn.

This is an underrated skill. I agree, the bar is so low that even a little bit of care/user empathy will make you stand out.

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If giving a damn makes you stand out, it seems like that would indicate none of your peers or colleagues give a damn. Working at a place where you are the only person that gives a damn feels like torture.

I also wonder how much tangible value can be created by a group of incompetent people that care, compared to a group of skilled people that don't.

It's interesting how personal experience colors this view.

Personally I've had the odd colleague who didn't care, but they typically moved on, or got moved on, after a while.

But lots of people here have obviously experienced it, perhaps at multiple places, and so project that to "all companies".

I guess it does matter where you work, and perhaps numbering staff in thousands, or tens of thousands, means you end up with a lot of dross?

Well, the incompetent will find a way to make it work. Since management usually only cares about that, it will be fine. The competent who dont give a damn will basically result to vibe coding and receive similar results. Just with lower cost.

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