4 ms·
The very fact of calling "computer programmers" as "ICs" is part of this syndrome, I'm not sure exactly when it started showing up, I'd say it was popularised b
by paganel 2y ago
The very fact of calling "computer programmers" as "ICs" is part of this syndrome, I'm not sure exactly when it started showing up, I'd say it was popularised by FAANGs, so maybe 2015-2016-ish?
- sokoloff 2y agoI've heard the term (or "individual contributor") since at least the first dotcom boom in the late 90s.
- bitwize 2y agoIt's been in use in engineering for decades now. My father was familiar with the term in his career, and he's pre-boomer.
- Ancalagon 2y agoIs IC offensive? I’ve never considered it to be. “Resources”, on the other hand, feels very offensive.
- frmersdog 2y agoWell, taken at face value, it is a bit of an oxymoron. To contribute is to be part of a group; by definition, a contributor can't be wholly independent, because they're adding to a corpus, not producing it by themselves.
- reshlo 2y agoIt stands for Individual Contributor, not Independent Contributor.
- xboxnolifes 2y agoI don't read it negatively, but to play devil's advocate here... Managers are also individuals who are contributing to the group corpus. They just do it by interfacing with people instead of code. Though, that's just semantics on the naming. IC just means not having direct reports.
- dullcrisp 2y agoOh, I take it the other way. To me it implies that management doesn’t contribute anything on their own, which is kind of true but also kind of a funny phrasing.
- cudgy 2y agoTrue. Who is not an individual contributor? I find the term meaningless.
- mjr00 2y agoICs aren't just computer programmers, they're designers, sales, marketing, customer support, etc. It's just an easier term for people who aren't managers than "not a manager".