Nobody ever gets credit for fixing problems that never happened (2001) [pdf](web.mit.edu)
542 points by sam_bristow 12 hours ago | 179 comments
tl;dr: Summary not available
HN Discussion:
  • Personal anecdotes confirming struggling/firefighting departments get rewarded over smooth-running ones
  • Y2K and similar prevention work is dismissed as wasted effort because nothing happened
  • Incentive structures reward visible heroics, with broken management unable to see preventive work
  • Questioning whether the decline of technical CEOs contributes to this misaligned incentive problem
  • ~Skeptical reflection that 'preventing problems that never happened' can also mask incompetence