Post #4244873

2026-07-30 15:35 UTC

@jrconlin@mindof.jrconlin.com @afilina@phpc.social The Ford case is interesting since they just rehired the Sr. engineers without supplementing with JR engineers. That is just a band-aid. When those Sr engineers retire, there still won't be people with that knowledge I could be wrong. Maybe this will be a wake-up call to mgmt, highlighting the need to address bus-factor

Replies (1)

@jrconlin@mindof.jrconlin.com 2026-07-30 15:42

@manchuck@phpc.social @afilina@phpc.social Absolutely. The problem (and to be clear, a LOT of engineers don't help things) is that management sees engineers as "fungible". It's just tech. Do the tech to make the thing. The problem is that it's like saying doctors are fungible and that the only reason your dentist doesn't do heart surgery is because they don't have access to the right tools. ( Dave is a 10x dentist and does organ transplants, so you really need to step up your game ) Engineers also need to think in terms of a network of support as well as demanding that the company bring in new talent that they can start training. The problem is that engineering culture has always been "Sink or Swim" and "Be the single stand out" rather than part of a larger team. Not always true, but the number is depressingly high.

Open ##4250045