[dustbitying]

on the other hand, there's a strong incentive for group-organizations, specially profit-driven and "the show MUST go on" kinds of organizations to never depend on a single (or a small sub-group) of people to keep things going; lest somebody important gets hit by the proverbial bus.

IMO, this is also part of the challenges that come with dealing in software (understood as some sort of novel "substance"); in great part we (as a culture/civilization) haven't figured out how to deal with software (and in general, with digital artifacts) in the best way.

[jffhn]

Preventing people from being productive by fear of the bus factor, is like throwing them yourself under the bus.

[bitwize]

Well, it's how business works. Maximal productivity of individual developers is not necessarily as valuable to the business as consistent forward progress that's resilient to risks, especially human risks like cranky developers quitting.

As much as Office Space is supposed to be a pastiche of corporate toxicity, Initech was perhaps more honest than most real-world companies. They had banners everywhere reading "Is it good for the COMPANY?" In the real world the same principle applies but you have to keep it in mind yourself. Any time corporate makes a decision which you think of as foolish because it hampers or disadvantages the line workers, ask yourself... Is it good for the COMPANY?