Book · 2021
Modern Software Engineering
by David Farley
Dave Farley argues the real gap between a 10x engineer and everyone else is how much rework they eliminate before it ever happens.
What does Reddit think of Modern Software Engineering?
Dave Farley's central claim gets stated plainly in r/ExperiencedDevs: the secret behind '10x engineer' reputations is eliminating the 90% of rework everyone else creates for themselves (↑118). That's the book's whole pitch in one sentence, and sentiment in that specific sub reads more positive toward it than anywhere else it comes up. r/programming is where the actual arguments land, in both directions: one commenter quotes the book's line about treating all code as broken until proven otherwise and calls it "Amazing" (↑230), while another goes after the DRY-refactoring chapter specifically, calling its example a straw man (↑84). r/cscareerquestions and r/learnprogramming mostly use "modern software engineering" as a category rather than the title, so some of that volume is closer to noise than citation. Three subreddits arguing different angles is a more honest description than a single verdict.
Community feedback & reader fit
Themes
- · Eliminating rework as the real definition of a 10x engineer
- · Treating all code as broken until proven otherwise
- · The DRY-refactoring chapter as a specific point of dispute
- · Category confusion between the book's title and the general phrase
Common praise
- + r/ExperiencedDevs credits the book with the actual mechanism behind '10x engineer' claims: eliminating rework, not typing faster (↑118).
- + The 'red warning signs as a monument to our sins' line gets quoted and called Amazing in r/programming (↑230).
- + It reads more positive in r/ExperiencedDevs specifically than in the other subreddits that mention it at all.
Common criticism
- − r/programming's DRY-refactoring critique calls the book's example a straw man that doesn't hold up under scrutiny (↑84).
- − A chunk of the mention volume in r/cscareerquestions and r/learnprogramming is people using 'modern software engineering' as a generic phrase, not citing Farley's book.
Who it's for
Read this if the '10x engineer' conversation always sounds like myth to you — Farley's version reduces it to rework elimination, and r/ExperiencedDevs is where that framing lands best. Prone to skimming past refactoring debates? r/programming already has someone contesting the DRY chapter's specific example, so go in ready to argue back. The interview-prep crowd in r/cscareerquestions treats the phrase more loosely than the book itself, so don't expect a tight fit if that's your entry point.
Mentions over time
Which Reddit comments matter for Modern Software Engineering?
The most relevant excerpts across the subreddits where this book is mentioned — opinionated, argued takes first, then top-upvoted mentions. Click through to read the full thread.
“One of the SUPER common interview questions at LOTS of companies is "what happens when you type a URL in a browser and hit enter", and it doesn't take long to realize a HUGE chunk of that is networking. That should tell you something meaningful, like, modern software engineering is almost entirely …
“> "The current code defaults to believing everything is broken until proven otherwise. This is the only rational way to view modern software engineering. > > To fix this is to suggest that we deserve green checkmarks. We do not. Leave the red warning signs as a monument to our sins." Amazing
“Modern Software Engineering. Dave Farley has said that others describe him as a 10x engineer. The secret? Eliminate the 90% of rework that 1x engineers make for themselves.
“Not true for the most part. Maybe if you've been working in a cobol job for 30-40 years and then retire, they maybe will pay you some big bucks as a contractor to do your old job. Most of the big buck jobs are at the big tech companies and unicorns. They typically hire for fundamental CS knowledge a…
“> Reluctant to embrace newer technical paradigms as they have ‘seen this before and it didn’t work then, it won’t work now’ My personal experience of #1 as a 52-year-old developer arguing with the young ones on this: I argued they should work incrementally and deliver the simplest thing that could …
“The modern software engineering interview circuit used by companies like Google is what employers have settled on as the "best" legal alternative to IQ tests.
“Yet another example of someone trying to be edgy and completely failing to backup their point. The first example about DRY refactoring is extremely weak. The author picked a straw man example and then said “this is bad because I know in advance that it’s going to change so it doesn’t make sense”. …
“While that would be nice, ultimately I don't really care about the programming language, but the workflow around it. Adding any file into a UE4 project that's not a predefined Actor.h/.cpp pair is a pain, not to mention creating editor-time Visualizers and their components... there's just so much …
“> They have their own platforms where I just have to drag and drop stuffs and then build the code on UNIX. That's so niche that I would urge you to strongly consider looking for a 'real' programming job. Jobs like these don't really teach you modern software engineering skills.
“This is modern software engineering. Make the developers responsible for their code production. This causes them to write better code since they don't want to be woken up at 3:00 a.m. I think AWS started this but most product companies follow it now as far as I can tell.
“Yes and no from my perspective. I’ve seen some people define DevOps as the core development team also running infrastructure, but I’ve never seen that in practice or think it’s a good idea. I’ve always treated it as code-centric approach to infrastructure, instead of systems centric. There is an im…
“Yeah this is a major company but not a tech company. It was a struggle at first so I’ve had to do quite a bit of outside research to try conforming to best practices and not form any bad habits. The upside is my boss is clueless what work I’m doing, how long it takes, and views me as a “wizard” wher…
“Real talk this reads nothing like ‘I’m stupid’ and everything like ‘I’m allergic to complexity’. Unfortunately modern software engineering is all about making everything as complicated as possible to fit some ‘optimal’ abstraction.
“There's a lot of runway laid out in the industry, with projects defined, and funding and headcount allocated. The only thing missing is people. Hiring managers are desperate to fill these positions. Meanwhile, there's a lot of people desperate to break into the industry who have zero real-world sof…
“Modern Software Engineering is great, Continuous Delivery as well 👍 And his YouTube channel. I genuinely believe this is what makes developers 10x.
Convinced? Pick up Modern Software Engineering
Readers also mention
Books that share discussion threads with Modern Software Engineering — counted from the comments, not curated.
Modern Software Engineering — frequently asked
Is Modern Software Engineering by Dave Farley worth reading for the '10x engineer' claims?+
r/ExperiencedDevs thinks so, and specifically: one comment credits the book with the actual mechanism, eliminating the 90% of rework other engineers create for themselves, rather than any claim about raw speed or talent (↑118). That subreddit is also where sentiment toward it reads warmest.
Does Reddit agree with Modern Software Engineering's take on DRY and refactoring?+
Not unanimously. r/programming has a specific pushback: one commenter calls the book's DRY-refactoring example a straw man, arguing the author picked a case where the outcome was already known in advance rather than a realistic situation (↑84). That's the sharpest disagreement anywhere in this displayed data, and it's aimed at one chapter specifically, not the book as a whole.
Is Modern Software Engineering popular specifically in r/ExperiencedDevs?+
Yes — it's the subreddit with both the most direct engagement (a full explanation of the book's 10x-engineer thesis, ↑118) and the warmest sentiment among the subs that discuss it. r/programming and r/cscareerquestions engage with it more as a debate topic than an endorsement.
Is Modern Software Engineering the same thing as generic 'modern software engineering' advice?+
Not always, per this data. A meaningful share of the r/cscareerquestions and r/learnprogramming mentions use the lowercase phrase as a general career category rather than referencing Farley's specific book, which means some of the raw mention count reflects the term getting typed, not the title actually getting recommended.