CHAPTER10

Avoiding the Fez

Fez.

Fez is a senior engineer who works for me. He's fictional, but you know Fez. He's the guy who wrote that piece of code 9 million years ago that everyone is dependent on, but no one knows what exactly it does because Fez didn't bother to comment a single line . . . oh yeah, and he wrote it in Forth.

Fez has his own office and he nods a lot. It's the nod of a man who believes he's got rock-solid job security because his technology is critical. Fez bugs a lot of people, but when it hits the fan, Fez saves the day because he's carefully cordoned off a critical path that is his and his alone.

Each year, Fez and I sit down and I present his focal review. I set the stage by asking about his aspirations and he responds ...

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