The thing with ESD damage is that it isn't always immediately apparent. it just may degrade the usuable life of your product, or may cause random problems over time depending on what is damaged.
This little nugget was what really got me with the ESD issue. I always assumed that if you cause damage to a part of your equipment due to ESD, then you would know right away. Either it works or it doesn't. Then, someone told me what you're referring to: latent damage.
So let's get this straight. It's invisible to the naked eye, hell, it's invisible to all but the highest resolving microscopes when you consider the fine lithography used in many components these days. So it's nigh-on impossible to know whether you've damaged something or not, precautions or not. Even if something fails, who is realistically going to dissemble all chip packages and inspect every square micrometer to prove it? And what could you even prove, exactly? That what you found was definitely the result of failing to take ESD precautions? I think not.
In a decade or so of assembling and handling computer components, it's never taken place with anything I've worked on, precautions or not. I'm not saying I know it's bullshit, but if you've ever had an ESD industry rep hit you with the soft sell at work, then you'll know something's up. The incident I'm remembering involved a rep that even claimed that his ESD shoes just so happened to be the most comfortable shoes he's ever worn. Come on now.
