Everyone is talking about cognitive debt. I think they’re naming the symptom. Cognitive debt builds up when a team ships code faster than it understands it. The code still runs. Nobody can explain why.
The real subject is ownership.
Work alone, and you write 100% of the code. You own it.
Now add a coworker who writes all the code. It never gets tired.
You write 0%. You click “Yes.” You pick “Recommended.” You approve code you don’t understand.
It ships under your name. But do you own it?
Imagine your AI subscription stops working tomorrow. Could you still change your own code?
Remember Theodore in Her. He writes personal letters that other people send as their own. Eventually, Samantha, his AI, leaves.
You are the one signing the letters now.
But do you understand what you’re signing?
So who owns the code?
Quote:
Theodore to Samantha: “I feel like I can be anything with you.”
