The difference between this guy and most hackers is that hackers see programming as a method of building stuff. I'm pretty sure his day job must involve "engineering" in the sense of connecting code and applying best practices, but not to think and create products. There's no pride and no ownership in that.

Of course accountants don't gather to bang some numbers, there's nothing to create there. People get together for fun to shoot a film, build a house, or have a stimulating conversation.