Good engineers write bad code at big companies
13 days ago
- #big-tech
- #code-quality
- #software-engineering
- Big tech companies often produce sloppy code despite hiring competent engineers.
- High turnover and internal mobility mean many engineers work outside their expertise.
- Most code changes are made by beginners who are new to the codebase or language.
- Experienced 'old hands' mitigate issues but are overloaded and informally relied upon.
- Big companies prioritize internal legibility and flexibility over long-term expertise.
- Engineers often work under tight deadlines on unfamiliar systems, leading to hacky solutions.
- Bad code is a deliberate tradeoff for rapid deployment and flexibility.
- The distinction between pure and impure engineering explains differing views on code quality.
- Individual engineers have little power to change systemic issues causing bad code.
- Root cause: engineers frequently work on unfamiliar codebases, making mistakes inevitable.