In defense of AI mandates (xpost)

When you need to execute a coordinated change on a tight timeline, a mandate might be the best and most honest way to fund it. Crossposted from here. I’ve been writing a series of pieces on lessons learned from our AI journey at Honeycomb. I’ve written about the tension between enthusiasts and skeptics, the need for engineering rigor, and the ethics of using tools with externalities and a seedy backstory. Today I want to send you off to a long July 4th weekend with a short but passionate defense of that most despised of management tools, the technology mandate. Nobody likes mandates I have read many a tweet or post from engineers exploding with rage over the pointless, counterproductive AI mandates they have endured at work. I have also read many a post from CEOs and execs bragging about their mandates, how decisively they upskilled, how fast they are moving now, and — lest we forget — how many people they laid off as a result of their new, AI-juiced incredibleness. (Boy, I wonder why…