There is also the scenario where the “senior developer” just outlasted everyone else. They started when the company was small, didn’t really know what they were doing then but because they have built relationships with the right people and no where all of the bodies were buried - because they buried many of them - have an outsized influence on the organization, whether they are good or not.
Then you have two things happen. All of the talented people leave and you have the Dead Sea effect and the “senior developer” is nothing more than an expert beginner.
There is also the scenario where the “senior developer” just outlasted everyone else. They started when the company was small, didn’t really know what they were doing then but because they have built relationships with the right people and no where all of the bodies were buried - because they buried many of them - have an outsized influence on the organization, whether they are good or not.
Then you have two things happen. All of the talented people leave and you have the Dead Sea effect and the “senior developer” is nothing more than an expert beginner.
http://brucefwebster.com/2008/04/11/the-wetware-crisis-the-d...
https://daedtech.com/how-developers-stop-learning-rise-of-th...