Keras and ARC-AGI creator François Chollet argues software engineers should prevent issues instead of building clever solutions to fix them

@fchollet yes

The best solution is not to cause the problem in the first place.

@fchollet they are neutral, pine needle colored, but i can see the pink backs of their open mouths from my seat. @drmichaellevin

@fchollet the safest line of code is the one that doesn't exist

@fchollet It still amazes me how many spectacularly flawed solutions people can invent for problems that weren't all that complicated to begin with.

@fchollet the best engineers ive worked with have a sixth sense for when someone is about to do something "elegant"

and they just say no

@fchollet "Conceptual Integrity." --Orson Welles

@fchollet As an intern years ago I tried to write a nested menu recursively (I thought it was very clever) and my manager told me "you need a permit to write recursive code." He was obviously correct.

@fchollet @drmichaellevin it's actually quite hilarious, like, is there just the one fat ass sitting there like, PUT THE WORM IN MY MOUTH, or do they take turns?

@fchollet the birds just got so big, they kicked their mom out of the nest. lol.

@fchollet @drmichaellevin @pmarca @leecronin @MollySOShea @AnnaCiaunica the spatial things that have been disembodied by continental drift. we are so lol xenophobic in this area of research.

@fchollet @drmichaellevin @pmarca so maybe a different bond market. @leecronin

it's not going away.

where did your dad, work, michael? what was it repurposed from? lee?

@fchollet @drmichaellevin @pmarca @leecronin @MollySOShea

@fchollet So basically, “no, I’m not a magician, I’m a janitor with a keyboard.”

@fchollet I think this tweet is getting a little too clever if you ask me

@fchollet @TomBukic and having the audacity to insist when cleverness is necessary.

@fchollet I feel like there's a story behind this one! also I totally agree

@fchollet fr protecting codebase from clever hacks is real senior engineer energy lol

@fchollet Even the best software engineer cannot escape the entropy created by others

@fchollet Unnecessary cleverness is expensive because it hides intent from the next 6 people, not the current author. The best engineers optimize for future unreaders, which is a very unsexy superpower.