In this age of sky-high salaries, outrageous benefits, and ever-changing technology we would be wise to pause and ask, “What motivates programmers to work, grow, and stay?” Too many engineering organizations get this wrong, focusing on compensation, tech, and growth. While these are important, they overlook a factor that impacts programmer motivation. We’ll use LMX Theory to examine programmer motivation, discuss the impact of in and out-groups, and offer tools managers can use to build high-performing teams.