Crap code is tolerated
Despite the fact most code is crap, the world keeps turning. I’ve seen many founders exit before the cracks in their technology had time to widen enough to hurt them. I’ve seen developers move on long before the consequences of their decisions landed. That time lag has allowed mediocrity to thrive.
Most organisations don’t even recognise what good engineering looks like. They treat software development as a commodity – a manufacturing production line – measured by how many features are shipped rather than whether the right outcomes are achieved. Few understand the value of investing in modern software engineering best practices and design – the things that make those outcomes sustainable.
I think the one point this author misses is that product scope and feature changes eclipses available engineering talent. I mean thats the demand side of why our salaries are so high. If it were as easy as flipping burgers I don’t know our salaries would survive that.
AI does not decrease demand for new products, if anything it increases it. And not everyone can work at fast exciting companies Rob. Someone has to build (insert your idea of a boring product)
Quote Citation: Rob, “Is AI about to expose just how mediocre most developers are? | Rob Bowley”, 2025-08-08, https://blog.robbowley.net/2025/08/08/is-ai-about-to-purge-mediocre-developers/