Failure Quote by Edmond Lau
““When I asked Sam Shillace, who ran Gmail and Google Apps for four years, about the costliest mistake he's seen engineers make, his response was, "Trying to rewrite stuff from scratch -- that's the cardinal sin.””
About This Quote
Source Interview: Tech leadership insights, 2020
Rewriting from scratch is a major engineering error; it wastes resources and risks quality.
In simple terms: Avoid rebuilding existing solutions; reuse proven code.
Key Takeaway
Prioritize refactoring over complete rewrites.
Themes
software development
engineering best practices
productivity
Mood
practical
cautious
Type
advisory
instructional
When to use this quote
- startup projects
- legacy system upgrades
- team onboarding
- budget planning
Key Concepts
technical debt
innovation constraints
Questions to Reflect On
- What criteria justify a full rewrite?
- How to balance innovation with existing stability?
A Different Perspective
Sometimes a rewrite is needed for fundamental redesign.
