Thread · HN Continuity

Yeah this is the closest I've found to explaining my own discomfort. Why I've been almost entirely an individual contributor my whole career and why I may opt-out and retire.

I have limited tolerance to take demeaning workload that I know "the boss" could do himself. I think my pride and satisfaction is in my intellectual contribution, not my ability to relay messages nor do repetitive slop work.

But the real revulsion is being a scapegoat. I will not rubber stamp and take responsibility for things not under my control. I have limited capacity to review and sign off work I've delegated to someone else. It is usually easier for me to do it myself and know it inside-out than to delegate and then review enough to have the requisite confidence in the result.

When the new plan is to increase throughput via delegation to these generators, I can't possibly review to my standards. So, I refuse to accept any of it as my work.

It also freaks me out a bit to think of the collective mess that is developing across society, with so many people apparently ready and willing to shovel and rubber-stamp. I think the "move fast and break everything" cult is going too far.

But, primarily, I just need to protect my own sanity and live to my own standards. And hope that I can back away far enough to avoid some of the splash damage when entropy catches up...