3 ms·

This is fundamentally what Europe especially and some non-tech large US firms don't get. Repeat after me: software development is not IT. IT is the departme

by xxpor 5y ago

This is fundamentally what Europe especially and some non-tech large US firms don't get. Repeat after me: software development *is not* IT. IT is the department that hands out laptops and buys office licenses from MS. Software Engineering is a product development group. They're two entirely different functions. IT can make sense to have under the CFO, but product development almost never does.

walshemj 5y ago
Not everyone makes that hard distinction
- xxpor 5y ago
  And that's the problem!
908B64B197 5y ago
> IT can make sense to have under the CFO, but product development almost never does. Just get a CTO. But seriously, it's always hilarious to listen to non-tech companies pitch how they can pivot to becoming a "tech company just like Google" while following none of the practices in SV. Developers still working for "IT", cost cutting and penny pinching. No free food of course...
- fallingknife 5y ago
  C_O's are expensive.
austincheney 5y ago
This is only true if you are a software company that makes money selling or servicing software. I work at a mega bank and we produce tons of software. It’s still a cost center, a means to an end. The only distinction I see is that software developers want to believe they are somehow more special than everybody else.
- xxpor 5y ago
  I mean, everything is a means to an end to make money. Google isn't selling ad tech software, they're selling space on websites to advertise. The tech is just a means to an end for that. The companies that recognize this are the successful ones, and the ones who don't fail eventually. Even John Deere sees the light here. Why do you think they have all of the DRM BS? The value comes from the software.
PeterisP 5y ago
Most software engineers are employed in companies whose product is not software but something else; and their "software products" - which may consume many developers - is not a product, but workflow support for the people making/selling the actual product of the company.

This is fundamentally what Europe especially and some non-tech large US firms don't get. Repeat after me: software development *is not* IT. IT is the departme

by xxpor 5y ago

walshemj 5y ago

Not everyone makes that hard distinction

xxpor 5y ago
And that's the problem!

908B64B197 5y ago

> IT can make sense to have under the CFO, but product development almost never does. Just get a CTO. But seriously, it's always hilarious to listen to non-tech companies pitch how they can pivot to becoming a "tech company just like Google" while following none of the practices in SV. Developers still working for "IT", cost cutting and penny pinching. No free food of course...

fallingknife 5y ago
C_O's are expensive.

austincheney 5y ago

This is only true if you are a software company that makes money selling or servicing software. I work at a mega bank and we produce tons of software. It’s still a cost center, a means to an end. The only distinction I see is that software developers want to believe they are somehow more special than everybody else.

xxpor 5y ago
I mean, everything is a means to an end to make money. Google isn't selling ad tech software, they're selling space on websites to advertise. The tech is just a means to an end for that. The companies that recognize this are the successful ones, and the ones who don't fail eventually. Even John Deere sees the light here. Why do you think they have all of the DRM BS? The value comes from the software.

PeterisP 5y ago

Most software engineers are employed in companies whose product is not software but something else; and their "software products" - which may consume many developers - is not a product, but workflow support for the people making/selling the actual product of the company.