In the high-stakes world of tier-0 services—where downtime spells revenue loss—one engineer’s quest for growth led him down a path many developers know too well: the seductive, often thankless grind of software modernization. Yifeng Liu, now reflecting on his experience at a major tech company, shares a cautionary tale that exposes how even critical-sounding tech debt work can become a career cul-de-sac without strategic alignment to business outcomes.

The Allure of Modernization

Liu joined a team managing one of his company’s most traffic-heavy products, eager to move beyond feature development. Haunted by legacy code and security vulnerabilities, the system seemed ripe for transformation. Over two years, he spearheaded modernization efforts: streamlining deployments, stabilizing tests, and patching critical flaws. These weren’t trivial fixes—they required deep technical skill, like migrating outdated libraries and rebuilding pipelines. Yet, when he confidently sought a promotion to senior engineer, his manager delivered a blunt verdict: "You’re doing great work, but these tasks aren’t senior-level. They lack business value and didn’t impact customers."

"Focusing is about saying no," Steve Jobs once emphasized in a talk Liu recalls. "The result is great products where the total is much greater than the sum of the parts."

Why Modernization Isn't Enough

Liu’s story isn’t unique. In tech, the pressure to "clean up" systems often leads engineers toward modernization projects that feel urgent but deliver marginal returns. He admits to spending weeks on updates for libraries that functioned perfectly—work that provided zero value to users or the team. Early in his career, he says, he said "yes" too often, driven by a misconception that technical prowess alone equates to impact. But true seniority, he learned, demands cross-team influence and customer-centric outcomes. His manager’s feedback highlighted a gap: while Liu excelled tactically, he hadn’t engaged in broader architectural decisions or visibility-building initiatives that drive business priorities.

The Broader Implications for Tech Teams

This dilemma resonates across the industry. As companies grapple with tech debt, well-intentioned modernization can divert resources from innovation, creating a cycle where engineers—especially mid-level ones—mistake activity for achievement. The lesson? Prioritization is survival. Developers must evaluate tasks through a business lens: Will this update prevent outages, accelerate delivery, or enhance user experience? If not, it might be noise. Liu now advocates for a cultural shift: empowering engineers to push back on low-value requests. "If my manager asks me to do tasks that add no value," he states, "I say no. Because I’m focusing on building the great product."

In an era where AI and cloud advancements dominate headlines, Liu’s journey is a raw reminder that technology exists to serve people—not the other way around. The most elegant code means little if it doesn’t move the needle for users. For developers eyeing their next career leap, the real modernization begins with pruning the unnecessary to nurture what truly matters.

Source: Adapted from Yifeng Liu’s article on Medium: Software Modernization Projects Dilemma (Part 2).