3 ms·

The problem nowadays is that software engineering is mostly about politics - Especially in big corporations. Corporations use extremely inefficient tools and p

The problem nowadays is that software engineering is mostly about politics - Especially in big corporations. Corporations use extremely inefficient tools and processes but because they have a monopoly over some area of the market, they can easily survive in spite of very poor technical decisions. What happens is that engineers who work for these companies learn a lot of bad habits and tools which slows them down; they become overly focused on risk mitigation instead of productivity. I'm starting to think that this is intentional; corporations want their engineers to get stuck in a technological rut; that way they can't leave and start working for a startup which will disrupt them later. Even some corporations which seem innovative, are not actually innovative at all; their entire ecosystem of tools is extremely inefficient once you step back and consider the big picture.

Lio 8y ago
I don’t think it is intentional or malicious. I think it’s more likely that in big bureaucracies management is seen as the most important function of business. Managers see their work as “important” and not just the admin that supports the real function of the delivering product. If you’ve ever sat in a meeting where management spent the whole time talking, instead of asking the team that does the work how could we improve our current processes, that’s what’s happening. You’ve run smack bang into the collective ego of multilayered management. Small startups succeed in part because the lines of communication are small. The ratio of those “ordering” the work to those “doing” the work is low and feedback is possible. In big enterprises outsourcing looks like a great idea because value only comes from management and workers are just a cost centre. Cheap is better than expensive if you think everything is a commodity.

Lio 8y ago

I don’t think it is intentional or malicious. I think it’s more likely that in big bureaucracies management is seen as the most important function of business. Managers see their work as “important” and not just the admin that supports the real function of the delivering product. If you’ve ever sat in a meeting where management spent the whole time talking, instead of asking the team that does the work how could we improve our current processes, that’s what’s happening. You’ve run smack bang into the collective ego of multilayered management. Small startups succeed in part because the lines of communication are small. The ratio of those “ordering” the work to those “doing” the work is low and feedback is possible. In big enterprises outsourcing looks like a great idea because value only comes from management and workers are just a cost centre. Cheap is better than expensive if you think everything is a commodity.