A guide to the patterns that shape software systems, teams, and decisions, by @milan_milanovic.
Joined December 2025
- Tweets 263
- Following 3
- Followers 137
- Likes 68
28 Photos and videos
Some companies don't fix incompetence. They promote it.
This is called the Dilbert Principle. 🧵👇
1
1
15
9/
The fix isn't complicated.
Build separate tracks for technical and managerial growth. Coach, reassign, or let people go when they can't do the job. Don't hand them a team.
Promotion should reward capability, not hide its absence.
1
4
More on the Dilbert Principle, with diagrams and related laws:
lawsofsoftwareengineering.co…
2
A half-second delay in one SSH login is the only reason hundreds of millions of Linux servers weren't backdoored in 2024. 🧵👇
1
1
12
8/
The same logic powers code review and pair programming inside companies. More eyes, earlier catches.
How many people actually read the code your business depends on?
1
4
More on Linus's Law, with diagrams and related laws:
lawsofsoftwareengineering.co…
1
2
Most codebases don't need a rewrite.
They need a thousand small fixes that nobody schedules.
That's the Boy Scout Rule: leave the code better than you found it. 🧵👇
1
1
18
7/
Broken Windows Theory says one visible hack invites the next.
The Boy Scout Rule is the counter-move.
Instead of leaving the first broken window, repair one pane on every visit.
1
2
More on the Boy Scout Rule, with diagrams and related laws:
lawsofsoftwareengineering.co…
1
2