Reputation is an important part of software development

I think people forget that reputation has always been a very real thing among software developers. Building a trustworthy reputation takes a very long time and requires a track record of high quality work. One’s claims and assertions are often weighed against one’s reputation in the software community. The amount of reliance that others place on one’s work product is also often proportional to their reputation of trustworthiness and responsibility. When someone of good repute then behaves in an irresponsible way when producing software, users of their products become understandably upset, because trust has been broken. This reaction is normal and very human. Despite what Libertarians/AI boosters claim, software is not purely transactional. It doesn’t come into existence in a vacuum. Users are not required to “get what they pay for.” Software is human communication and human work, and exists in a web of human trust and relationships. It really is not that hard to understand.