To be clear: I do not think we should actually forget technical debt. Also, this is not the nth post discussing if “debt” is an appropriate metaphor. I do not have a strong opinion regarding the metaphor. My point is rather that I realized in a recent discussion that in the end, it is not so much about technical debt but rather about something else, and I wanted to share the thought.
Tech debt is a term directed at managers to convince them to not always go for the quickest and dirtiest hack.
It’s not a term that’s ever meant to describe anything to an engineer.