&quot;In the best case the programmer and the company will both think they are getting a good deal.&quot;<p>IMO that is far from the best case. That allows &quot;ignorance is bliss&quot; and, at the other end of the malice spectrum, for one party to be taking advantage of the other.<p>I once sold a rare trading card for $50. I thought I was getting a good deal, the other person knew it was worth much more than that and thought they were getting a good deal. Was this situation optimal?<p>I once sold a laptop to a person over craigslist for a fair price. He thought he was getting a good deal as well. When I got home I discovered that model had just been obsoleted and so a brand new one was as cheap as the used one I&#x27;d just sold. Was this situation optimal?