SAG '25: Let's stop making each other feel stupid

(These are the slides from the talk I delivered at Software Architecture Gathering Berlin on Wednesday 22nd Nov 2025.)

We work in an industry where we have to prove how much we know. And yet, there are a million different paths through software development. On a day-to-day level we have to specialise on one task at a time. The skills we don’t need now are necessarily forgotten, or delegated to someone else. And that’s fine.

Instead of judging people for their ignorance, let’s help them to feel excited about all the new things they’ll discover. Instead of saying “How come you don’t know that?” let’s say “Fantastic! Lucky you. You get to learn something. What can I do to help?”

Transcript

1. NO EYES NEEDED @ClareSudbery
3. @ClareSudbery ALL LINKS FROM TODAY (including a link to these slides)
4. @ClareSudbery https://media.giphy.com/media/ACVoiOEjbA6nC/giphy.gif https://media.giphy.com/media/ACVoiOEjbA6nC/giphy.gif
5. @ClareSudbery https://media.giphy.com/media/ACVoiOEjbA6nC/giphy.gif https://media.giphy.com/media/ACVoiOEjbA6nC/giphy.gif
6. Guten tag! Let’s Stop Making Each Other Feel Stupid @ClareSudbery
7. ALL LINKS FROM TODAY (including a link to these slides) @ClareSudbery
8. Imagine a world… @ClareSudbery
9. Making Each Other Feel Stupid How does it happen? @ClareSudbery
10. • Judging people • Talking in jargon • Not training juniors • Rock star developers • “Everyone knows more than me” • Hiding our ignorance • Believing seniors should know most @ClareSudbery
11. Talking negatively about others @ClareSudbery
12. Talking in jargon @ClareSudbery
13. Being reluctant to train juniors @ClareSudbery
14. The Lucky 10,000 @ClareSudbery
15. Assuming everyone else knows more than us @ClareSudbery
16. Ilianna: Terraform Kirsty: Hadoop Mircea: iOS Native Esra: SonarQube Georgia: Golang Rob: AWS Scott: AiOps Andy: Encryption Anik: PySpark Jon: CentOS 7 THE WHEEL OF CONFUSION @ClareSudbery
17. Terraform CentOS 7 Hadoop iOS Native SonarQube Golang AWS AiOps PySpark Recursion THE WHEEL OF CONFUSION @ClareSudbery
18. Terraform CentOS 7 Hadoop iOS Native SonarQube Golang AWS AiOps Recursion Encryption THE WHEEL OF CONFUSION @ClareSudbery
19. Terraform CentOS 7 Hadoop iOS Native Golang AWS AiOps 398373 Encryption PySpark THE WHEEL OF CONFUSION @ClareSudbery
20. Terraform CentOS 7 Hadoop iOS Native AWS AiOps Recursion Encryption PySpark SonarQube THE WHEEL OF CONFUSION @ClareSudbery
21. CentOS 7 Hadoop iOS Native AWS AiOps Recursion Encryption PySpark SonarQube Golang THE WHEEL OF CONFUSION @ClareSudbery
22. Hadoop iOS Native AWS AiOps Recursion Encryption PySpark SonarQube Golang Terraform THE WHEEL OF CONFUSION @ClareSudbery
23. iOS Native AWS AiOps Recursion Encryption PySpark SonarQube Golang Terraform CentOS 7 THE WHEEL OF CONFUSION @ClareSudbery
24. AWS AiOps Recursion Encryption PySpark SonarQube Golang Terraform CentOS 7 Hadoop THE WHEEL OF CONFUSION @ClareSudbery
25. AiOps Recursion Encryption PySpark SonarQube Golang Terraform CentOS 7 Hadoop iOS Native THE WHEEL OF CONFUSION @ClareSudbery
26. Recursion Encryption PySpark SonarQube Golang Terraform CentOS 7 Hadoop iOS Native AWS THE WHEEL OF CONFUSION @ClareSudbery
27. Terraform Data analytics Hadoop iOS Native SonarQube Golang AWS AiOps Encryption PySpark THE WHEEL OF CONFUSION @ClareSudbery
28. Assuming everyone else knows more than us @ClareSudbery
29. The range of knowledge in our industry is very wide @ClareSudbery
30. The range of knowledge in our industry is VERY WIDE @ClareSudbery
31. Hiding our own ignorance @ClareSudbery
32. But what about AI? @ClareSudbery
33. My experience - the happy story @ClareSudbery
34. "Be curious. Read widely. Try new things. What people call intelligence just boils down to curiosity." - Aaron Swartz The Stupidity Manifesto @ClareSudbery
35. @ClareSudbery The Stupidity Manifesto LET’S STOP MAKING EACH OTHER FEEL STUPID. INSTEAD, LET’S… • ENCOURAGE EVERYONE TO ASK QUESTIONS • Lead by example: Be honest when we’re confused • Value curiosity over knowledge • Prioritise clarity over jargon • Remember we all forget stuff • Get excited about teaching and learning • Acknowledge the broad range of knowledge in our industry, and avoid judging someone if their knowledge doesn’t match ours • LET’S STOP MAKING EACH OTHER FEEL STUPID. Sign the manifesto:
36. DIAL UP THE GOOD What can you do to make things even better? The most useful talks are those that result in action @ClareSudbery
37. Landing in a neat pair-synchronized way. https://www.instagram.com/p/BsY1qBeg5Qg @ClareSudbery
38. bit.ly/making-tech-better • Aino Corry - Retrospectives anti-patterns • Charlene Hunter - Diversity and training • Emily Webber - Communities of practice • Katy Armstrong - Servant leadership I hosted a podcast… @ClareSudbery
40. @ClareSudbery FEEDBACK
41. Vielen dank Questions / Discussion @ClareSudbery
42. ALL LINKS FROM TODAY (including a link to these slides) @ClareSudbery