> > people who are genuinely enthusiastic

> This seems absurdly difficult to measure well and gameable in its own way.

True, and it is gamed currently (some prep books tell you to feign enthusiasm).

But let's whimsically say that the hypothetical of software development no longer being the go-to easy lots-of-money career meant that the gaming people would go to some other field instead, leaving you with only the people who really want to do this job.