I'd be curious as to where the magical 16ms figure comes from. Yeah, a single monitor refresh. But is that really needed for most UIs?
these imbecile developers ... under-experienced software "engineers."
Yes, I know we've all been conditioned by the relentless pecking order of this industry to direct our ire downwards and sideways, rather than where it belongs.
But in my experience, at least 80 percent of the time the developers (whatever their caliber) are perfectly aware of when stuff is inadequate, and how to do stuff better. Ultimately it's managers and executives who make the call on what to create, and when to release.
Vastly more common (and destructive) than simple incompetence, I have sadly come to find.