I got a job offer from aD back in the day... went for a walk w/ Greenspun + Alex to talk about it. I didn't like how everyone at the company's ego seemed to depend so entirely on programming ability (I was fresh out of college and cared about these things a lot).

His response? "At least it's a meritocracy!"

Not a bad answer, really. I am glad to have participated in that time (1998-2000) + place (Boston).