In large companies, speaking up about what you see as a “bad project” is a good thing. But only in moderation. Sometimes the mark of seniority is realizing that arguing with people who won’t listen isn’t worth it; it’s better to save your counsel. … It’s important to point out that for much of the lifecycle of a project, whether it’s “bad” is highly subjective. Software engineering is largely a game of tradeoffs and making decisions which are not perfect but the best possible with the information available. There often can be disagreements on whether correct choices are made and it only becomes obvious much later on, potentially years after a project has shipped.
I think the killer line is about the reality that humans are involved. which means egos are. large companies are way to ego driven rather than outcome driven.
ps this post has great advice in it.
Quote Citation: Lalit Maganti, “Why Senior Engineers Let Bad Projects Fail - Lalit Maganti”, Jan 13, 2026, https://lalitm.com/post/why-senior-engineers-let-bad-projects-fail/