4 ms·
> the grumpy ones You know, grumpiness really is a thing. I wonder if it should be treated as a symptom like left arm tingling before a heart attack. A call
by m463 3y ago
> the grumpy ones
You know, grumpiness really is a thing. I wonder if it should be treated as a symptom like left arm tingling before a heart attack. A call to make some serious changes.
- vasco 3y agoMeh, developers are people too. They are right and they are wrong. I've seen some guys who are proud of having the grumpy persona, which is really just a nice word for "I know better than the other people I work with" and it's not a great attitude. Engineering choices all have trade-offs yet the grumpy guys always frame it as "my way or everything will collapse later".
- mjburgess 3y agoWhat attitude is the appropriate one if everything will collapse? There are long-tail risks to the stability of codebases, organisations, institutions, governments.. the soviet union collapsed. It seems likely that some engineers can intuit such long-tail risks. If linkedin is subject to a competitive threat which requires rapid innovation, the org will lose because it's development practices preclude it.
- DaiPlusPlus 3y ago> What attitude is the appropriate one if everything will collapse? Short the stock.
- m463 3y agoSorry, should have been more clear. It is when you - a normal, well adjusted engineer - realize you are feeling grumpy about something. It might be a sign to explore what is really going on.
- klabb3 3y agoAgree with this. And why it’s important to have spaces to blow off steam and vent without being shunned as a bad team player or whatever. I’ve seen quite a bit of toxic positivity that makes people sit on their grievances in silence instead and become complicit and resentful (like the parent comment mentions). It’s much better to air it out - oftentimes there’s constructive things behind discomfort. In fact, discomfort is a guiding light for innovation imo.