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No, I've actually mostly worked in well balanced places. It is my experience that technology is the lesser issue and the one with the smallest impact. That's not to diminish the highly skilled developers - the work just have less impact that we seem to believe.

I do not believe in self organizing teams. I have not seem them work. Without direction the team will fumble until someone assumes control. I have also not seen many happy in such an environment.

The opposite is strict top-down control, such as what is often described and lamented on HN, is equally bad. No one wants to work under a dictator.

There's a balance to be struck between authority and autonomy.