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Reminds me of the time a former employer which shall remain nameless paid a Senior Developer to spend an entire year coding something a $15,000 license from the maintainers of the original library would have given them. So lets spend 6 figures to save 15 grand or whatever.

This was a CTO burning funds, and that does not even cover the maintenance costs, especially as the original library changes and becomes drastically more modern.



> Reminds me of the time a former employer which shall remain nameless paid a Senior Developer to spend an entire year coding something a $15,000 license from the maintainers of the original library would have given them. So lets spend 6 figures to save 15 grand or whatever.

You argumentation assumes that the goal was saving money.

On the other hand, if the company's goal is to become a little bit more independent of this library (and their licensing fees), this approach often makes a lot of sense.


You're assuming that the goal was making the company more successful.

On the other hand, if the CTO's goal is to grow his empire with no regard to the well-being of the company, this approach makes a lot of sense.




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