[amh]

Don't these societal conditions apply to "good" and "bad" software developers alike? All other things being equal, if you're successful and somebody else fails (selling to the same market), then the most obvious explanation is that you met the needs of your customers better and somehow improved their lives. This is signaled by a monetary reward greater than the guy who failed, and proportional to the value you added.

The general prosperity of society is built up by an uncountable number of these successes and rewards. Hand-wringing about whether your own contribution would be possible absent all the prior contributions is putting the cart before the horse. You aren't illicitly skimming profits from society, you're making valuable contributions in your own right.

[okaramian]

I agree that I'm making valuable contributions, but I'm clearly in debt to the society I live in for the opportunities that are available.