I read bits of a programming book once, can’t remember which one.
Halfway through it was revealed that all the code snippets they had were from a project that was abandoned before it was finished, once the people paying for it realised they no longer wanted it and stopped funding them.
I wasn’t sure what message to take from the book after that. Like, sure, my code is a load of shit, hodge-podged together at the request of people who don’t really know what they want, but at least I’ve got people out there using it…