Open source has succeeded at creating common infrastructure, where technical vision matters most. Sometimes.

Compared with the vast, vast array of software we both need and use, open source has failed. Precisely because there’s a gap between what the developer can envision and what is needed. Hence product owners. And a gap between the resources of time and money available and what a single developer can do in their spare time. Hence management.

PS: I also think you should re-examine your disdain for “burger flippers”. Even if it’s a low-autonomy job with much repetitive labor, there are aspects – like dealing with customers under pressure – which might break the average software developer. And people are much more than how they choose or are able to sell their labor. The general lesson here is that there’s usually a lot more to every job and worker than you think.

I absolutely don’t have any disdain for entry-level restaurant employees. As you say, it’s a perfectly fine job. But it’s also a job that a typical medium-level manager should be qualified enough for, as opposed to working as a plumber, a doctor, or any job related to software.