Buy vs build choices inevitably become wrong later because context shifts; focus on opportunity cost and make the best decision for today while watching for changing constraints.
Every technical decision is made against a snapshot of reality. The article argues that a buy-vs-build choice will look wrong later not because the original analysis was bad, but because the surrounding context-budget, team capacity, market needs-has changed.
The author shares a concrete example: a team built an internal integration engine that worked but lacked a UI, forcing a later switch to a commercial product. He claims the initial build was still the right call at the time, highlighting how hindsight can mislead judgments about past decisions.
A practical checklist-features, price, vendor stability, integration-covers only part of the picture. Real costs are hidden in opportunity cost: what engineering time is spent building versus what could be delivered elsewhere, and what other investments are foregone by spending money now. Early-stage projects may suffer from premature buys, while fast-growing products can outgrow a DIY solution.
The takeaway is to accept that decisions are provisional. Choose the best option for the current context, quantify the opportunity cost, and stay ready to revisit the choice when the environment shifts.
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