I would argue most software engineers perceive a huge rift between "I am comfortable violating some software patents" and "I am comfortable exfiltrating large swaths of my employers code base." I would hope so at least.
Most software engineers aren't Carmack, though. He used to co-own his technology, and graciously rooted for putting much of it under open licenses. I think Carmack is a pragmatist and certainly understands the business value of code, but also isn't a big fan of constraints.
It's not like the my mind is made up, I don't know either way. Curious to see what the trial will bring.
Carmack wasn't a freelancer working under Zenimax on an hourly basis. He was a full time employee working on the same industry in games, and as ex-CTO of id (and knowing what we know of Carmack's talents and what he's done before) he was most likely doing a lot more research and prototyping work in his capacity at Zenimax. Therefore it's a lot less obvious what he has ownership of vs what Zenimax has ownership of.
It's not like the my mind is made up, I don't know either way. Curious to see what the trial will bring.