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The Wetware Crisis: The Thermocline of Truth (2008)

The Wetware Crisis: The Thermocline of Truth (2008)

3 comments

·September 2, 2025
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herodoturtle

> In many large or even medium-sized IT projects, there exists a thermocline of truth, a line drawn across the organizational chart that represents a barrier to accurate information regarding the project’s progress. Those below this level tend to know how well the project is actually going; those above it tend to have a more optimistic (if unrealistic) view.

I wonder if this is unique to IT projects. Could folks from different industries comment?

As an aside, when I read "wetware", I am immediately reminded of this iconic line: "Burn's wetware matches her software"

This is Hacker News after all!

gsf_emergency_2

Derived concept: thermocline of trust

https://every.to/p/breaching-the-trust-thermocline-is-the-bi...

https://xcancel.com/garius/status/1588115310124539904

semv3r

This is tragically relatable (and as relevant today as when it was written, if not more so).