The problem is that they actually work. I've been involved in having to implement these nightmares and it turns out that normal people do actually interact with them and it does result in increased revenue.
> If I work with a human Junior and they make an error or I familiarize them with any quirk of our workflow, and I correct them, they will recall that correction moving forward
I really wish that were the case. Most of the Jr Engineers I work with have to be told the same thing multiple times, in different ways, for things to stick.
Most cases I've seen with more complex interfaces is due to the fact that it is what the interface truly expects. Usually making it simpler tends to mean it's actually wrong or incomplete.
Yes, the ability to have critical thinking skills is the key differentiator between the two types of developers mentioned.
I think that is what a lot of these discussions seem to be miss: the issue is not really the hard tech skills/knowledge. It is more about the softer critical thinking abilities or personalities that allow someone to become skilled at something or solve a problem easier/better.
Generally because the chargeback-rate of typical paid-for porn providers was exceptionally high. When I worked at one we had to use special merchant providers that would charge up to 10% or higher for each transaction because of it.
Looking at the code examples they shared it seems like they are the lone-wolf sort of developer that wants to "solve problems" in code that no one else can read.
This is really the truth of all things in life.