What I’m Hearing About Cognitive Debt (So Far)
Summary
The article synthesizes discussions on cognitive debt—the gap between a system’s evolving structure and a team’s shared understanding of how and why it works. It argues that cognitive debt affects people as much as code, highlighting mitigation strategies like rigorous reviews, tests that capture intent, continuously updated design docs, and leveraging AI to make cognitive work more visible. It also raises questions about how high-performing teams will adapt as AI accelerates development and changes incentives.