Each generation of seniors has normalized the idea that fundamental knowledge is optional — that you can skip the “boring” parts and jump straight to the “interesting” stuff. We’ve created a culture where depth is seen as inefficiency, where understanding principles is less valued than knowing the latest framework. It’s like deciding that understanding arithmetic is unnecessary because calculators exist, then being surprised when the calculator breaks and nobody knows why 2+2 equals fish.
— Krzyś, The Junior Developer Extinction
PREVIOUS05/28/2026