Speaker: Colin Damon
Format:
Unlike a traditional talk, this was an open fishbowl discussion, encouraging participants to reflect, challenge assumptions, and engage on equal footing. The central theme: complexity is everywhere, and it’s not going away. So… what do we do about it?
🌪 The Trap of Complexity – Ever-Present and Unavoidable
- Complexity is baked into everything:
- Organizations, communication, legacy systems, pressure, bias, and even incompetence.
- We’re always dealing with it — there’s no perfect solution or way to eliminate it.
- The trap? Trying to solve complexity without understanding it, or making it worse by adding more tools, more tech, more layers.
đź’¬ Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. We’re Biased… and Blind to It
- Most people don’t realize they’re biased.
- Often, we create more problems while trying to solve a few.
- We’re not rewarded for thoughtful problem analysis, just for fast shipping or flashy features.
2. AI, Hype & Acceleration
- Fear of AI replacing devs — are we just becoming operators for tech we don’t understand?
- We’re moving too fast, creating tools we don’t control, problems we don’t fully grasp.
- Slow down. Think more. Build less, better.
3. Systemic Resistance to Change
- Parkinson’s Law reversed: with fewer resources, we often create better, leaner solutions.
- But… changing means admitting past mistakes.
- It’s hard for someone to say: “I’ve done poor work for 15 years.”
- Everyone blames the “team before” — yet no one owns the change.
4. Incompetence Is (Uncomfortably) Widespread
- People teaching craft often don’t master it (fake DDD, pseudo-hexagonal).
- Managers say “my team is bad” — instead of questioning their own hiring or leadership.
- True craft faces resistance, because it exposes holes in the system.
5. Leadership & Learning Culture
- We need managers who teach, challenge, and guide — not just KPI-pushers.
- Put learning and experimentation back into the core of the job
- Changing orgs = changing people → and that’s risky.
- Challenging incompetence means challenging everything — structure, ego, habits.
6. Accept the Right Complexity
- Not all complexity is bad — some is necessary.
- But we often throw tech at what are organizational problems.
- Before acting, ask: Will this change make us more money?
- It’s a brutal metric, but real.
🔥 Final Reflections
- Real transformation requires:
- Acknowledging discomfort
- Taking personal risks
- Learning together as an organization
- Remember Bergson’s Law: it takes less energy to resist change than to create it.
- So take care of yourself, and don’t fight the trap alone.
TL;DR:
Complexity is unavoidable. Most of us are flying blind through it — biased, under-trained, under-supported. The answer isn’t just better tech; it’s better culture, real leadership, and the courage to rethink the way we work… together.