Definitely. When I was taking 6.001 there was a person in my dorm who wanted to “work together” which ended up meaning “copy my work” because they couldn’t handle fizzbuzz-level problems much less tricky recursion and other material of the class. I don’t know who they attached themself to after me but they did well in the class and they went on to a very swanky job after graduation. I feel bad for the companies being defrauded out of hundreds of thousands of dollars by people like this. Whenever people say “fire fast” I think of that person.

Other techniques in use by these people: go to recitation sections and harass TAs for homework answers week after week. Trying to litigate every point marked off on an exam. Erasing incorrect answers before requesting a regrade. Etc.

I ocassionally get in the mood to go back for a masters degree. And then I remember how much fake bullshit is going on in university settings because the credentialist incentives are so perverse. I’d rather just read some books and tinker than deal with all that.