> The developer's incentive to maximize their own lock-in factor and billable hours are powerful forces. Even developers who appear to be totally robotic and ego-less are often guilty of over-engineering. It works on the subconscious mind. Few are ever able to escape the mindset because they are not fully conscious.

I suspect this phenomenon explains a lot about how this industry has developed over the last few decades. Any significant software nowadays requires a team of baby sitters just to keep operating. Nothing is ever done and everything keeps changing for no good reason.