So engineering cynicism comes out of, and is reflected in, the engineer's daily work experience.
Their optimism is reflected in their belief that everyone -- except, perhaps for some suits beyond redemption -- will respond positively to the straightforward truth. That's why engineers will stand up in a sales call and painstakingly go over the list of bugs, flaws, weaknesses and dropped features: They are being straight in an environment that only tells half the story. Despite what the horrified salesfolk think, the engineers are not trying to screw up the deal. They are trying to put it on an honest footing. That is their optimism surfacing: deal straightforwardly and not only will the deal go through, but it will be a stronger deal in the long term. And, except for when they forget to mention the strengths of their products, the engineers are, of course, right.
Cynicism among engineers isn't a character flaw. It is key to their strength. (thanks Dave)
Now that something approaching 100% of the Internet economy's first-movers have gone bust, this theory looks less plausible. Yet the logic once seemed persuasive. Where exactly did Internet economics go wrong? A new book by Stan Liebowitz, a professor of economics at the University of Texas at Dallas, and a long-time sceptic of the view that the Internet changes all the rules, gives the most thorough answer so far. “Re-Thinking the Network Economy”
[..] But the crux of the book is two chapters devoted to attacking the theory of lock-in. This was the notion that caused the biggest mistakes—and the area where many economists were most at fault.
[..] Strong lock-in is different, because of the network aspect. Strong lock-in means that consumers won't move to a new and much better product unless a lot of others jump first. If they could somehow agree to move together, they would all be better off. But they cannot. Strong lock-in reflects a failure of co-ordination, it causes economic losses, and in theory it does create opportunities for decisive first-mover advantage. But how common is it, even in the new economy? Mr Liebowitz is forthright on this. Strong lock-in is not merely uncommon, he says, there is actually no known instance.
