Sometimes software stinks because it IS bad. Perhaps the software he is using grew from simple to complex and nobody did any housework, thus the smell. Maybe it does need some work.
I think the point is that anyone's software would stink on some level when set against the toughness of some of the challenges a super-behemoth like Facebook faces. Some problems are much too difficult for even the best programmers in the world to solve and solve elegantly without multiple attempts. There's usually barely time for one attempt. But people still need to take on these problems, even if it makes them look bad, because eventually they will be ironed out, making way for new problems, bigger problems, and the circle goes on and on.
