The Time I Lied to the CTO and Saved the Day (grumpyolddev.com)

Article summary

The author recounts a story from early in their career where they worked on a project for a Fortune 500 company, led by a CTO who had outsourced a key part of the project to a large tech services firm. The vendor's product was not suitable for the project's needs, and the team had to work around its limitations. The author's team secretly built a replacement system, and the author lied to the CTO about the team's progress to allow them to take a break over the holidays. The replacement system was successfully launched, and the team was able to meet the project's deadlines.

Main themes

• Software development challenges
• Project management
• Vendor relationships
• Team motivation
• Technical debt
• Leadership decisions

What commenters say

• Lying to a superior can be a risky move that may have severe consequences if discovered, but in this case, it allowed the team to succeed.
• The use of AI-generated images can be noticeable and may detract from the credibility of an article or post.
• Some commenters believe that the project's success was due to the team's hard work and dedication, while others think it was a result of luck and the fact that the team was able to work around the vendor's inadequate product.
• There is a debate about the value of CGI and AI-generated content, with some arguing that it can be impressive when done well, while others think it is often used poorly and can be distracting.
• The story highlights the importance of managing up and making tough decisions to ensure the success of a project, even if it means going against the wishes of a superior.
• Some commenters think that the team's success was short-lived and that they would have been laid off or fired regardless of the project's outcome, highlighting the disposable nature of employees in the tech industry.
• The use of column-oriented databases and JSON documents can be problematic and lead to performance issues, as seen in the vendor's product.
• The story raises questions about the ethics of lying to a superior and the potential consequences of such actions, with some arguing that it was necessary to ensure the project's success, while others think it was unethical.