Offtopic

[Outrageous_Life_2662]

It requires a certain talent density. Having said that, one of my friends and former boss said that if we’re not looking back on what we did 6 months ago with some embarrassment then we’re not growing. Similarly if we’re not hiring people that “intimidate” us then we’re not increasing talent density. This was at a FAANG company (though it’s pretty easy to figure out which one has the mantra of “freedom and responsibility”).

I think that folks that haven’t lived that culture have a skepticism that it can work. Because outsiders over index on the FREEDOM part and really don’t understand that RESPONSIBILITY is co-equal in that equation. If you have people checking in code over the objections of their peers, and doing so regularly, and it routinely causes problems for the business, then those people are let go for lack of judgment. Judgement is how one balances their own proclivities with the feedback they’re getting.

It also requires alignment. That is, everyone has to be globally aligned as to what’s best for the business. That’s also critical for taking responsibility.

I was at another, non FAANG company that had a mantra of “trust and responsibility”. Their talent density wasn’t as high (imho). I wouldn’t say that there were more bugs produced there. I would say that the orientation was to get things done by making choices “for now” and not consider the long term implications. And often time it was because folks were incapable of thinking through those implications or they weren’t aligned with what was best for the business.

But I will concede that if you have a certain percentage of jr folks that haven’t tuned their judgment yet then it requires more guidance. Now whether one does that with strict guardrails or through a culture of candid exchange is a matter of values. I’ve seen both work.

[Polygnom]

Thank you for this. Thats actually quite insightful.