I have been accused of being a curmudgeon by more than one co-worker. The short, pithy answers to the question of I got to this point would be “experience” or “it comes with age”. But what is the real reason and does it have any benefit?
Firstly, I was raised in an Irish-German family which by default makes me surly and sarcastic. At almost half a century of this habit I don’t see any change coming there. I also find that most developers have similar traits along with a dry sense of humor.
The main thing that gained me the label of curmudgeon is the knack for identifying issues that could adversely affect a project. Things like scope creep and knowledge voids that could push a project beyond its budget and deadlines. This tendency has come from 20 years of being a technical lead and architect. It is an attribute that has served me well.
The place where this becomes a thorn in some team members side is that with years I think I have become more blunt with my assessments. I am still capable of tact, but probably need to employee a little more liberally.
Ultimately, I think being a self-aware-curmudgeon is a good thing. As long as we continue to learn and strive to work with people a little surly is just the spice of life.