yeah, I had to explain to a CEO that we weren't going to be shipping any new features for a few months while we upgraded core systems and eliminated tech debt.

yeah, I had to explain to a CEO that we weren't going to be shipping any new features for a few months while we upgraded core systems and eliminated tech debt. It was a tough conversation. But about 6 months later we were able to start developing new features again, and everything was much quicker and smoother. The lead dev had regained his composure, too, and wasn't being actively obstructive to everyone who tried to do anything to "his" code base.