> it’s a great way to starve R&D R&D can show proof of direct customer value, or a path to generating customer value. Managing compute infra for a pharma comp

> it’s a great way to starve R&D R&D can show proof of direct customer value, or a path to generating customer value. Managing compute infra for a pharma company or an accounting department calculating deferred revenue for a tech company does not, hence why software spend is low in pharma companies and accounting related roles tend to be contracted out in tech companies. > The idea of “cost center” vs “profit center” is an outdated holdover from a Jack-Welch-style conglomerate approach to management where departments are pitted against each other Every company has a finite amount of budget, and every function is arguably as important as the other. You need to prioritize. Every dollar spent by a pharma company on compute is arguably a dollar that could be directly attached to IP generation. Similarly, every dollar spent on an accounting team in a tech company is a dollar lost thet could be attached to software R&D. > a unified approach to managing the business encourages collaboration and complementary decision making I absolutely agree, but people on HN need to realize that depending on the industry, software is lower on the hierarchy of needs. And this is why it's best as a SWE to target tech-first companies or move geos to work in a tech cluster.