As a Principal Engineer in FAANG, I’d caution against bringing software development in-house without someone who deeply understands how software is built at the

As a Principal Engineer in FAANG, I’d caution against bringing software development in-house without someone who deeply understands how software is built at the leadership level within your company. Software can be intangible, making it difficult to manage budgets and timelines. You might find yourself asking, ‘We’re spending all this money, but what exactly are we getting for it?’ What’s the point of all this CapEx? Moreover, it’s easy to place unrealistic demands on software development. If you, the business, change your mind every two weeks about what the software should be or do, the constant churn in feature requests can bog down the code and hinder development—through no fault of the developers. While you don’t necessarily need a CTO, it’s crucial to have someone you trust, even when the answers you receive aren’t what you want to hear. Is it possible to find a new outside vendor?