there is something i recently started pondering: there's a perception vs. reality effect here too. let's say an engineer can: - implement feature X while ship

there is something i recently started pondering: there's a perception vs. reality effect here too. let's say an engineer can: - implement feature X while shipping tests in 8 hours - implement feature X without tests in 10 hours if i was a manager and tests were delivered, i'd expect that the engineer wasted time on tests, when instead they could be shipping more features. so, at the detriment of the code-base developers _could_ be taking longer because of manager perceptions. this is an over-simplification. there are second-order effects that take on this shape. if i write cleaner code (even without tests), i make the next engineer's life easier. we work in an environment where it's possible these acts of future-helping go unrewarded. so, as early-stage engineers we're conditioned to avoid issues of quality.