The billable hour is a trap into which more and more of us are falling
Another downside of the billable hour: it encourages perverse incentives. I was recently talking with a potential customer in the legal field, and he was interested in my startup's software, which helps people read on screen more quickly/easily. But at one point he turned to me and said "I know one of the senior lawyers is going to ask me if using your software is going to cause the billable volume to go down for their associates. I know that sounds like a silly question, but how should I answer?"<p>In short, efficiency is discouraged when dollars are on the line.