[dneronique]

> but not anyone that thinks about the merits of various architectures, reads up on optimal coding practices, or that learns in their free time

That's a bit demeaning IMO. As with any large corporation, there will be people who stay for years and years just coasting and letting their skills stagnate. However, there are also a lot of people who work hard, learn rapidly, and move around a lot internally instead of changing companies.