If I understand you correctly, it is an argument to not pursue software development?

I agree, I am mostly in it for the money and my own curiosity.

And I do see that it sometimes solves real problems, like removing landmines. But it's rare.

Neo-liberal capitalist economies are full of fake problems.

Take flash trading for example. I know why it exists, and I know why it works. I don't fault people for getting involved in it, because they (and we) exist in the system we have.

Yet, think of all the money that has gotten both pumped into that industry and the industry has made in profits, and all for...being able to algorithmically trade penny differences in value at a profit due to volume.

Is that a problem that is worth solving? Well, in our current economic system, it is, but should it be?

I don't know whats better per se (I'm not arguing for communism or some other clearly failed economic political system) but I sure feel like I can identify problems that could quite easily fall into the made up category.