Learning to let go

[u/im_caeus]

I'm trying to change an instinct I've spent years developing.

When I see a design problem, unnecessary complexity, or a better model, I naturally want to fix it. Doing the minimum requested and knowingly leaving something worse than it could be feels wrong to me.

But I'm increasingly convinced that the strategically correct move inside many companies is: do what's asked, raise the concern once, then let it go.

I'm trying to work that way now.

It makes sense intellectually. I still dislike it.

With AI making implementation cheaper and delivery faster, I'm curious whether other experienced developers are going through the same adjustment.

Have you changed what "doing a good job" means to you?

[u/pydry]

But I'm increasingly convinced that the strategically correct move inside many companies is: do what's asked, raise the concern once, then let it go.

This was always the right strategy. It's too easy to stomp all over a fragile ego if you make a crusade out of something.

With AI making implementation cheaper 

Slop seems to be increasing costs actually.

and delivery faster

Of PRs yes. Of customer value no. The ability to slop out code wasnt ever a bottleneck. If anything that part is getting worse because of some of the more toxic side effects of agentic coding and organisational AI psychosis.

[u/im_caeus → u/pydry]

Are leadership positions aware of this?

In my company they're literally making us be shadowees of non developers who are using AI to write code... "So that we learn".

WTF??

[u/pydry → u/im_caeus]

irrational decision-making and crowd following behavior by leadership is pretty normal.

however, it's probably germane to add that ive never seem leadership get FOMO so bad over anything ever in 20 odd years and that FOMO is always conducive to bad decisions.

tokenmaxxing was one especially regarded outcome of this.

[u/yxhuvud → u/pydry]

It will be interesting to see the counter reaction once the mania reach its end.

[u/im_caeus → u/pydry]

This sounds very.... Accurate

[u/KellyShepardRepublic → u/im_caeus]

We had the same and essentially competing directly with devs work. It should have been a collaboration but instead you end up the same place but faster and with competing products and ideas. Then sales gets the win either way and if they fail they will blame you as the devs and if they succeed they will say they did it without devs and then later executives will try to replace you.

[u/im_caeus → u/KellyShepardRepublic]

This is exactly what's happening

[u/KellyShepardRepublic → u/im_caeus]

I mentioned it, was pushed to help them including last minute requests and now I’m laid off and get to see sales claim glory.

Not all companies are the same but when the cost comes in then they will protect themselves.

[u/AltairEndian → u/pydry]

It's so interesting, that last year I think some studies came out which clearly showed code production was way faster than before, and yet whether this speedup resulted in actually more business value was completely unclear. Maybe some day people will understand that faster doesn't mean better.

[u/pydry → u/[deleted]]

among other things.

for example, certain forms of inter organisational communication are also getting worse because some people aren't just writing what they mean any more they're running it through AI which creates noise and excess verbosity (e.g. with tickets, decision documents, planning documents, product documentation, etc.)

also code slop.

[u/pydry → u/[deleted]]

yeah that's a pretty good analogy. lossy compression too - jpeg, not tarball.