[gnu8]

It is a uniquely crummy feeling to have your work go unused like that, but you shouldn’t let it discourage you. You reached a level of mastery on this particular thing that few people have, which is evidenced by the fact that no one else in the trading community was able to reach your company’s level of confidence and they decided to wait out the leap second instead.

[a9h74j]

> no one else in the trading community was able to reach your company’s level of confidence

So his work contributed to community wisdom, and that influential community has probably had some say in cancelling leap seconds. I wouldn't call his work wasted. I would call that notably few degrees-of-separation in making an observable difference.