"Rockstar" along with "Ninja" and the like feel like they spring from a deep seated insecurity about what the organisation and the people there do and it's value and appeal.
Rather than hire someone who felt that a job role needed to be sexed up for it to be interesting, I'd far rather employ someone who was comfortable in their own skin with who they were and how they earned their living and didn't feel the need to either big it up or have their ego massaged by someone else describing them in that way.
Exactly. I've seen multiple companies that have their developer ads filled with words like "rockstar" and "ninja" while their other postings (accountants, salespeople, whatever) sound like proper adult jobs. Doesn't exactly scream "developers are taken seriously here".
Rather than hire someone who felt that a job role needed to be sexed up for it to be interesting, I'd far rather employ someone who was comfortable in their own skin with who they were and how they earned their living and didn't feel the need to either big it up or have their ego massaged by someone else describing them in that way.