There was actually a time in the 1980s when software developers got a percentage of profits. I remember working at WordPerfect in the late 80s and seeing some of the developers houses - one guy built a medieval castle complete with a working moat and drawbridge.
At the time I was hired in '89 or so they were doing away with that practice. "New developers don't get royalties any more."
But, it was a good business to be in for a short time. I'm not sure if Microsoft developers ever enjoyed royalties.
And then due to some Microsoft court case in 1999, they also did away with permanent contractors as well (now after 1 year, you must be incorporated).
Who did this benefit? Not the government, they lose taxes as now the contractors have to incorporate (filtering your income through an S-corp allows you to deduct all sorts of expenses). Not the contractors who now have to maintain and run a corporation.
It's always the corporations who benefit. Corporations are largely owned by the massively wealthy.
