Why Large Tech Companies Produce Sloppy Code Despite Hiring Competent Engineers
By
gfysfm
6mo ago· 8 min readenInsight
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Summary
The article explores why large tech companies with highly paid, competent engineers often produce surprisingly sloppy code. The main argument is that most code changes are made by relative beginners or engineers working outside their area of expertise, compounded by high employee turnover (average tenure of only one year at big tech companies). The piece examines the systemic factors in large organizations that lead to suboptimal code quality despite having talented individuals.
Key quotes
· 5 pulledEvery couple of years somebody notices that large tech companies sometimes produce surprisingly sloppy code.
Big tech companies pay well enough to attract many competent engineers. They move slowly enough that it looks like they're able to take their time and do solid work.
Most code changes are made by relative beginners
I think the main reason is that big companies are full of engineers working outside their area of expertise.
The average big tech employee stays for only a year
Every couple of years somebody notices that large tech companies sometimes produce surprisingly sloppy code. If you haven’t worked at a big company, it might be hard to understand how this happens. Big tech companies pay well enough to attract many compet
