It occurs to me that Andreessen ma very well have fallen into the “die a hero, or live long enough to become he villain” trap. Having worked in tech as an engineer for my entire career, I agree with your stance that there needs to be a counter-pressure to the “ship it, my ego needs a promotion” pressure that Tech falls prey to over and over. I agree that validation, proof-of-completeness, and careful testing against desired outcomes, and a willingness to understand and seek out UN-intended consequences in order to mitigate them, are some of those counter-pressures. BOTH are necessary to generate good products, and to make sure that Tech serve society, instead of the reverse.
Superbly written Stephen. Just subscribed to your substack because of this outstanding piece.
Thank you!!
It occurs to me that Andreessen ma very well have fallen into the “die a hero, or live long enough to become he villain” trap. Having worked in tech as an engineer for my entire career, I agree with your stance that there needs to be a counter-pressure to the “ship it, my ego needs a promotion” pressure that Tech falls prey to over and over. I agree that validation, proof-of-completeness, and careful testing against desired outcomes, and a willingness to understand and seek out UN-intended consequences in order to mitigate them, are some of those counter-pressures. BOTH are necessary to generate good products, and to make sure that Tech serve society, instead of the reverse.
Great article! Subscribed.
Exactly, it's not, and should never be, a case of one or the other. It's both, and for good reason.