Just Write Code
A manifesto for developers who actually write code — while everyone else is stuck in meetings, chasing buzzwords, and relying on AI chat windows. A rallying cry for getting things done.
Inspired by the article Don't Write Simple Code and the old manifesto.
This article is about others — about those who just happen to write code, or who were accidentally made to write code earlier than expected. Or about those who don't write code by accident, but really want to. I'm sure that everything written below is absolutely useless to anyone. There is only one thing that truly needs to be done — well, you get the idea.
Just write code, while everyone else is in a meeting arguing about which board to move this ticket to. Because no Jira has ever written a bugfix.
Just write code — it won't make you super-rich, but it'll put food on the table. Your conscience will be clear, and production will stay alive.
Just write code, even if it's sloppy code, it will work. Working sloppy code is far better than a dozen tickets rotting in Jira.
Just write code, because you spend most of your life at work. Failures happen all the time, but if your code works — it's not a failure yet.
Just write code, because instead of investing in engineers, the company put money into board games and work-life balance — now we have an office champion at Evolution, but engineers don't know how to use a profiler.
Just write code, because when you said "let's study and take courses," they said "let's hire more people." The result: every third person has a referral bonus, but still nobody learned to use a profiler.
Just write code, because when you tried to split the architecture into layers and modules, the answer was: "That's all theorizing, we have a business and features." Now that business runs on a crowd of juniors and a pile of JSONs.
Just write code, because is flooded with "How I Sell Cat Scratching Posts on Marketplaces" and "How I Quit for Work-Life Balance," but try finding an article about memory fences or perf counters — good luck.
Just write code, because the "senior" title has been devalued to NFT levels — three years of experience, talks beautifully, produces nothing. Some don't even take offense at being called a "prompt-senior."
Just write code, because task boards have replaced common sense and design skills, and now instead of architecture we discuss when to schedule a call to talk about a new ticket.
Just write code, because interviews ask LeetCode puzzles, then everyone wonders why the candidate has no idea how vtable and RAII work.
Just write code, because otherwise it will be written by someone who came for the work-life balance, and by someone whose AI assistant tab never closes.
Just write code — simple or complex, with abstractions or performance-focused — simply because it saves you from burnout and mental aging.
Just write code, just so it works. So it doesn't crash. So you're not ashamed of your commits.
Just write code, because otherwise this project, like all the ones before it, will go to production on crutches.
Just write code, because otherwise it will be Service Unavailable.
Just write code, because many people can no longer just write code without a chat window open.
Just write code, because otherwise the pile of JSONs will grow larger.
Just write code — because you can.
You are not the first and won't be the last. Others will come after you, understand your mistakes, and fix them.
If there are no mistakes, it simply means you haven't been writing code.
FAQ
What is this article about in one sentence?
This article explains the core idea in practical terms and focuses on what you can apply in real work.
Who is this article for?
It is written for engineers, technical leaders, and curious readers who want a clear, implementation-focused explanation.
What should I read next?
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