This is in the context of programmers-who-have-already-been-hired-at-microsoft.  And possibly speaks to a lack of training&#x2F;mentoring.  Edit: and something Gates said 20 years ago.<p>Learning new things makes you a better programmer, always.  My first four years, I was a copy&#x2F;paste programmer.  Then I turned 11 and learned algebra.  Huge leap forward.  Another huge leap forward with trigonometry and calculus.  Again when I had access to a library with books that weren&#x27;t older than me.  Another when I finally met other programmers, studied FP and learned half a dozen real languages.  Another with statistics, differential equations and linear algebra.  And so forth.<p>The ascent only ever stops if you are employed at a company that has a culture of overwork and no mentoring.  But if <i>Gates believed people can&#x27;t grow,</i> then (true to the headline) he probably made it a self-fulfilling prophesy.