Sounds like hagiography to me. There were lots of ordinary, non-prodigies that built ARPANet, TCP/IP, the Unix/Windows network stack and HTTP. Plenty work at companies that build the network planes, like Cisco and AWS and Microsoft.

Policies can't be decided based on your insecurities. You don't want anyone to be better perceived than you even when they may be objectively better. All your elitism comments say the same thing.

Objectively better? In what way?

I'd like you to explicitly list in which ways I'm "objectively inferior".

For one your comprehension. I said may. Give me a case by case study and I can give my opinion. Are you saying all software engineers are equal or you are better than everyone out there ? If not why don't the better ones deserve more pay / prestige etc.

How many ways are you going to call me stupid without having the gumption to actually come out and say it? Kind of cowardly IMO. Make your point.

I don't know you or your work. I have no qualms in saying most likely there is someone better than you. I have no qualms in saying that about 99% of the people I know because it's statistically true. To say that others don't deserve more pay or prestige is akin to saying "I will feel bad so don't pay someone better more".

Are you saying you're part of the top 1% of intellect or something? I thought that was just a meme. Yikes bro. Calm down.

Okay your comprehension is clearly lacking (not a subject at NCSU ?). Won't engage unless you aren't obviously trolling.

You're making pretty gross assumptions right now.