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Silence Is Better Than Bullshit

MIT
Phil Chu
Author
Phil Chu
Making software since the 80s

The No Asshole Rule is a good first rule in a company, but a No Bullshit Rule would rank a close second.

The first casualty of bullshit is credibility, a non-renewable resource like reliability and trustworthiness. When I hear bullshit, it’s in the record books, and every assertion from the same source from then on is tainted with that bullshit.

The second casualty of bullshit is respect. I lose respect for the bullshitter and I feel disrespected by the bullshitter for expecting me to buy that bullshit.

The third casualty of bullshit is time. Making up and listening to bullshit answers is a waste of time (and the same goes for bullshit questions). Bullshit as policy results in unrealistic schedules and budgets (or more dire consequences).

Of course, bullshit abounds. I expect to hear bullshit from politicians, marketing, lawyers, management…well, OK, just about everyone. But it is particularly painful to hear it from engineers. Alas, although engineering is inherently a fact-based activity, engineers have self-images, too, often as know-it-alls and intellectually superior beings, and they (we) don’t like to lose arguments, admit to mistakes, or confess we don’t know something.

I’ve caught myself more than a few times pretending to understand the topic of discussion because it’s embarassing to say, “Sorry, I’m not familiar with that,” and oftentimes it just seems more expedient to say the expedient thing so you don’t look bad or to just get the conversation over with. But it’s a bad habit. And eventually, you start believing your own bullshit.