The magic of software; or, what makes a good engineer also makes a good engineering organization

The piece argues that software development is not a linear path from vision to implementation. Instead, engineers' deep understanding of tools like indexed color systems creates new visions, as shown by the classic Amiga boing ball demo and early VGA color-cycling tricks. Those discoveries arise from knowing the platform, not just applying a preset idea.

Abstraction layers are valuable, but only when they serve as shorthand for underlying mechanics. Treating them as opaque black boxes leads to mediocre output and limits creativity, mirroring how organizations that silo teams become stagnant. The author likens this to platforms that promise explosion of creativity but often deliver more low-quality products.

Large engineering organizations suffer when they enforce hierarchical decision flows or autonomous silos without fostering bidirectional feedback between vision and engineering. Without shared understanding, shifting to new priorities-like moving a desktop-centric product to mobile-requires coordinated change that black-box thinking prevents.

The core takeaway for leaders is to cultivate a culture where deep technical knowledge informs strategic direction and vice versa. When teams understand the internals of their abstractions, they can generate innovative solutions, improve alignment, and avoid the stagnation that comes from treating every layer as a mysterious box.

Leaders should encourage engineers to dig into the "how" of their tools, use abstractions as transparent aids, and create structures that let engineering insight shape product vision, not just execute it.