Here the author tries something then gives up. That does not mean clean code is not something to aspire or pursue. What is described as building trust can be a

Here the author tries something then gives up. That does not mean clean code is not something to aspire or pursue. What is described as building trust can be also interpreted as groupthink and colleagues forming pacts of mutual non-criticism (which breeds mediocrity). Which is also the way to build dogmatic cults of personality, and becoming superficial developers that care more about talking about their weekend than their craft. You do not trust code. Memory and attention are fragile. Everyone makes mistakes. Everyone can have a bad day, be distracted, tired, etc. Building trust sucks. Trust nothing and be able to verify everything. Your job is to edit code: add, delete, modify code. Each time you check in code it becomes company property. It is not "your" code. Modifying other people's code is completely OK, and expected. In the end, this article is just wrong. "Give up, tech debt is your friend. Your job is to be best friends forever with your colleagues". All wrong conclusions.