This outage represents more than just a temporary disruption in service; it's a black swan célèbre of the perilous state of our current technological landscape. This incident must be seen as an inflection point, a moment where we collectively decide to no longer tolerate the erosion of craftsmanship, excellence, and accountability that I feel we've been seeing all over the place. All over critical places.-
Who are we to make this demand? Most likely technologists, managers, specialists, and concerned citizens with the expertise and insight to recognize the dangers inherent in our increasingly careless approach to ... many things, but, particularly technology. Who is to uphold the standards that ensure the safety, reliability, and integrity of the systems that underpin modern life? Government?
Historically, the call for accountability and excellence is not new. From Socrates to the industrial revolutions, humanity has periodically grappled with the balance between progress and prudence. People have seen - and complained about - life going to hell, downhill, fast, in a hand basket without brakes since at least Socrates.-
Yet, today’s technological failures have unprecedented potential for harm. The Crowdsource outage killed, halted businesses, and posed serious risks to safety—consequences that were almost unthinkable in previous eras. This isn't merely a technical failure; it’s a societal one, revealing a disregard for foundational principles of quality and responsibility. Craftsmanship. Care and pride in one's work.-
Part of the problem lies in the systemic undervaluation of excellence. In pursuit of speed and profit uber alles. Many companies have forsaken rigorous testing, comprehensive risk assessments, and robust security measures. The very basics of engineering discipline—redundancy, fault tolerance, and continuous improvement—are being sacrificed. This negligence is not just unprofessional; it’s dangerous. As this outage has shown, the repercussions are not confined to the digital realm but spill over into the physical world, affecting real lives. As it always has. But never before have the actions of so few "perennial interns" affected so many.-
This is a clarion call for all of us with the knowledge and passion to stand up and insist on change. Holding companies accountable, beginning with those directly responsible for the most recent failures.-
Yet, it must go beyond punitive measures. We need a cultural shift that re-emphasizes the value of craftsmanship in technology. Educational institutions, professional organizations, and regulatory bodies must collaborate to instill and enforce higher standards. Otherwise, lacking that, we must enforce them ourselves. Even if we only reach ourselves in that commitment.-
Perhaps we need more interdisciplinary dialogue. Technological excellence does not exist in a vacuum. It requires input from ethical philosophers, sociologists, legal experts. Anybody willing and able to think these things through.-
The ramifications of neglecting these responsibilities are clear and severe. The fallout from technological failures can be catastrophic, extending well beyond financial losses to endanger lives and societal stability. We must therefore approach our work with the gravity it deserves, understanding that excellence is not an optional extra but an essential quality sine qua non in certain fields.-
We really need to make this be an actual tuning point, and not just another Wikipedia page.-