But shipping faster was pushed at almost every company until, if it's not revenue generating, stop putting resources into it. Not all are like this but it's not all or nothing, it's always a sliding scale how much you can put into making the software correct.
There are things you buy out there that don't need Swiss quality because most people will simply not need the quality or won't have the money to pay for it.
I think the biggest problem isn't that a random webpage is sloppy, but when a critical system that could kill people is built the same way as the random webpage.
Near the point where things become minorly safety critical, people will blur the line. The point where safety kicks in moves a little further out, and we start blurring the lines again.
There’s a reason the FAA is anal-retentive about things with only very minor safety implications, like the in-flight entertainment system or turning on airplane mode. It helps prevent complacency where it actually really does matter.
You either do it the right way 100% of the time, or I’m not taking bets that you’ll do it right on a particular occasion.
> eventually I realized that if I didn't get things out of the door, my company would start losing money and I'd lose my job.
This is like 90% because most tech is different enough that civil torts don’t exist for them yet, so they don’t have to care.
Eg if Google deletes all your photos they kind of just shrug and you’re out of luck. If I deposited photos at a bank who burned them without notice or approval, they’re on the hook for that.
The law will eventually catch up and acknowledge that bits can have value. Then everyone will have to care again.
The cost of "losing customer data" is too abstract for a company trying to survive financially. Corners will inevitably be cut.
Unless the costs to be suffered by the company for exposing private or sensitive information are made very clear through legislation.