After more than 25 years in software—working on everything from macroeconomic data systems to Google Photos to autonomous flight stacks—I’ve learned one thing above all: software engineering is far more art than it is science.

Treating it like a factory production line is a costly mistake.
That approach works for manufacturing, where processes are predictable and parts interchangeable. But in software, it drains creativity, drives away top talent, and slowly erodes quality.

Great engineers aren’t interchangeable parts. They’re artists. A truly exceptional engineer can be hundreds—sometimes thousands—of times more impactful than an average one. Just as a few great painters define art history, a handful of engineers create the breakthroughs that move the industry forward. They need a culture that treats them as creators, not “resources” or “code monkeys.”

Some companies have understood this. Google, for example, in its early days, built an environment where people like Jeff Dean and Rob Pike could do their best work—and the results speak for themselves.

The key is leadership. Software engineers thrive when led by someone who deeply understands software—someone who can match the right people to the right problems, and inspire them to bring their full passion to the craft. Without that, all software starts to look the same to leadership, whether it’s a neural network or a low-level control system. And that’s when quality starts to slip.

There’s a “broken windows effect” in code. Elegant, well-structured systems motivate engineers to do their best, avoid technical debt, and improve what’s already there. Sloppy solutions do the opposite. And constant project shuffling without ownership? That’s the fastest path to mediocrity.

The challenge is that the best engineers often don’t seek management roles—they’re happiest as individual contributors. Google solved this by creating parallel career paths for engineers and managers, allowing both to advance without forcing a trade-off between technical excellence and leadership.

The lesson is simple:
If you want the best software in your industry, let great engineers lead its development. Keep the team distinct, make technical excellence a leadership requirement, and protect the culture that lets engineering “artists” create their masterpieces.

And if you doubt that there’s anything more important to your product’s success than the quality of its software—well, you’re mistaken.