The problem is you can’t easily ween product folks and execs away from this lever; they may have pulled it so often that no one can remember a time when any pus

The problem is you can’t easily ween product folks and execs away from this lever; they may have pulled it so often that no one can remember a time when any push back on tech debt was possible. When it comes time to pay the debt, the original developers and product folks may have moved on which effectively expands the debt greatly due to loss of prior knowledge. When new product folks replace the ones that pulled the original levers, they can become frustrated they can’t get their features done in any reasonable time, and push for hacks so they can have something to show to grow their career. You need very strong leadership in your engineering org to ensure the lever isn’t stuck in the on position too long.