I think this is written from the standpoint of a web shop. Maybe there are more 37signals-ish shops out there than remains apparent; a great majority are dealing with tight deadlines, unknown factors, scope creep, etc.
Your great code gets re-written, stripped or worse on a split second decision the client makes. I'm not talking about fish-out-of-water clients, either. Big media clients tend to run their production like a fast food restaurant.
You're put in a position where you either get it done quick and dirty or they find someone who will on the next project. The shops that promote themselves in this way set the bar for what the expectations are in the field. Repeat.
Your great code gets re-written, stripped or worse on a split second decision the client makes. I'm not talking about fish-out-of-water clients, either. Big media clients tend to run their production like a fast food restaurant.
You're put in a position where you either get it done quick and dirty or they find someone who will on the next project. The shops that promote themselves in this way set the bar for what the expectations are in the field. Repeat.