SMRTR ProgrammingNov 30, 2025lobste.rs

How good engineers write bad code at big companies

SMRTR summary

Big tech companies produce sloppy code because engineers constantly work outside their expertise. High turnover, frequent re-orgs, and deliberate fungibility mean most code changes are made by relative beginners on unfamiliar systems. Companies prioritize flexibility over expertise retention, accepting lower code quality as a tradeoff for rapid resource deployment.

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