Every developer has been there. You inherit a monstrous codebase from the past decade, full of weird workarounds, comments in a language you don’t understand, and functions that somehow work but defy all logic. The CTO, who hasn’t written code since jQuery was cutting-edge, says, “We need to optimize and modernize!”
And that’s how layoffs happen.
Step 1: Identify “Obsolete” Parts (AKA Senior Engineers Who Actually Know Stuff)
When refactoring legacy code, the first instinct is to delete what looks unnecessary. Same with layoffs—some executive with a LinkedIn MBA sees high salaries and assumes those people aren’t “efficient.” Forget the fact that they built half the system and are the only ones who know why doNotDeleteThisFunction() exists.
Step 2: Replace With Something New (AI? Juniors? Just Hope for the Best?)
In tech layoffs, companies love replacing experienced devs with cheaper hires or AI tools. In code, this is the equivalent of ripping out a stable (but ugly) function and replacing it with a shiny new framework that nobody fully understands yet. But hey, it’s in a case study on Medium, so it must be good!
Step 3: Realize You Broke Everything
After a while, you start seeing weird bugs. That “unused” method you deleted? Turns out it was mission-critical. The dev who was let go? Turns out they were the only one who understood the spaghetti mess holding things together. Now you’re stuck patching things with hotfixes and workarounds, all while pretending “everything is going according to plan.”
Step 4: Bring Back the Old Code (Or Rehire the Laid-Off Devs as Contractors)
At some point, reality hits: The new system is a mess, and the team is lost. Just like when a company panics and offers contractors double their old salary to come back and “consult,” devs eventually find themselves pasting the old code back in from an outdated backup.
Moral of the Story? Think Before You Refactor
Tech layoffs, like legacy code refactoring, aren’t bad in principle. The problem is when the people making the decisions don’t understand what’s actually necessary. Whether it’s an old function or a senior dev, blindly cutting things without context just leads to disaster.
So next time someone says, “We need to optimize,” just remember: deleting things doesn’t always make them better.
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