I get what you're saying, but this is exactly how deviances are normalized. When you've been with the company for a long time and are familiar with the history, it's easy to rationalize why things are the way they are and that they can't be improved. You can explain something that's crazy with context and historical pressure.
Dan's point is that sometimes the new person's judgement is correct, and there actually is a real problem that's invisible to people who have been with the project a long time. But the new person's judgment is basically always ignored, and that's a mistake - it ought to be weighted heavily because they legitimately have a perspective that insiders no longer have.
If instead you spend six months trying to understand the context:
"new person joins
new person: WTF WTF WTF WTF WTF
old hands: yeah we know we're concerned about it
new person: WTF WTF wTF wtf wtf w...
new person gets used to it
new person #2 joins
new person #2: WTF WTF WTF WTF
new person: yeah we know. we're concerned about it."
I'm sympathetic because my first company was a mid-stage startup with huge structural problems in the engineering org structure and processes. When I joined I had frequent "WTF" moments and had a similar experience where experienced people would explain to me why things are the way they are. So I trusted them, and put my head down, but eventually got frustrated and left. A few months later the company went bankrupt because they couldn't build product fast enough, investors lost patience, and they couldn't raise another round.
> the new person's judgment is basically always ignored, and that's a mistake
Remember, the new person has something that nobody else on the team can ever learn, no matter how much they study or how long they work. The new person has a fresh perspective.
Dan's point is that sometimes the new person's judgement is correct, and there actually is a real problem that's invisible to people who have been with the project a long time. But the new person's judgment is basically always ignored, and that's a mistake - it ought to be weighted heavily because they legitimately have a perspective that insiders no longer have.
If instead you spend six months trying to understand the context:
"new person joins
new person: WTF WTF WTF WTF WTF
old hands: yeah we know we're concerned about it
new person: WTF WTF wTF wtf wtf w...
new person gets used to it
new person #2 joins
new person #2: WTF WTF WTF WTF
new person: yeah we know. we're concerned about it."
I'm sympathetic because my first company was a mid-stage startup with huge structural problems in the engineering org structure and processes. When I joined I had frequent "WTF" moments and had a similar experience where experienced people would explain to me why things are the way they are. So I trusted them, and put my head down, but eventually got frustrated and left. A few months later the company went bankrupt because they couldn't build product fast enough, investors lost patience, and they couldn't raise another round.