No Appetite For Technical Excellence

Why are some organizations eschewing technical excellence?

I was recently approached by a rather prominent expert in the field of software development. That expert proposed we engage in his ongoing, very successful series of podcasts. I felt honoured and gladly accepted the offer. The podcast I then attended was so much fun, we enjoyed the banter and the interaction, and learned a lot from each other in the span of one hour.

Following that event, the host recommended I join one progressive fintech company, as he thought I would be a good match for them. I agreed; he then proceeded to introduce me to the owners (with whom he had worked in the past), and suggested they arrange for an introductory call with me. I accepted the invite and was interviewed by the company’s Chief Technology Officer (CTO).

Here is where things get interesting: the CTO asked me to explain what it is that I have on offer for them. I then launched into a litany of all those things me and many of my likeminded colleagues are all about — in a word, technical excellence. Not only from the technology standpoint, but also from the team dynamic, process and delivery perspective.

Much to my shock, the CTO replied: “That’s very interesting, but we do not have any appetite for doing that!”

Basically, the progressive high tech company operating in a financial sector professes they have no appetite for technical excellence. That stopped me dead in my tracks. There’s gotta be a reason for that. Obviously, if they were foolish to ignore some of the things that many prominent gurus in our profession are proposing, they would not be able to compete in the super heated fintech space. So, what is it that they know that we may not know?

In other words, I started asking myself: are there any downsides to actively pursuing technical excellence? Do I/we have a blind spot? Am I/are we missing some important details that make me/us less competitive?

Please chime in and add your experiences and views in the comments. I would really like to know what, if any, are the downsides of actively pursuing technical excellence? Is there a better way? Are we falling for some unnecessary academic complications when we’re going after all those elaborate practices that guarantee technical excellence? Or, is that fintech company actually being foolish by denying the need for technical excellence?

I’m looking forward to learning about your insights.