"They are just to close to the metal and too far from the users." That is bull.
How far they are depends on company policies.
Some sweatshops keep their developers away from their clients.
It's a sweeping statement, yes surely, but it has basis. Ellen Ullman's writing on early programming culture, while now dated, reveal there is a significant gap between the developers and the rest of the company - and that it works for development.
