Post #2620355
2026-05-15 10:59 UTC
@plexus@toot.cat Tech debt works very well for startups/businesses with an explicit intent to sell/exit in the near/medium future, because then it's exactly the same as how banks are selling debt and turning it into a SEP (a "Someone Else's Problem")...
I also met contractors who're completely transparent about their main selling point being to never miss a deadline at any cost, and refuse taking on any maintenance contract (incl. for their own work). The code produced was as R-rated as you can guess, but they kept their promise and producing tech debt is/was essentially their business model! Maybe players like that are required in an economy so that various other places specializing in consulting & maintenance can actually can survive... 🙃
Replies (1)
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@plexus@toot.cat 2026-05-15 11:44
@toxi@mastodon.thi.ng this is really interesting cause I'm thinking now, what if I had actually posed that question to some of my clients? I can think of a few who probably would've chosen the ship-at-all-costs model. I think these are also the same people who would be incredulous a year later that team velocity has dropped to close to zero. Not many appreciate how high the interest rates are on this stuff, until all of a sudden they're breaking more in a sprint than they are shipping.