Some time ago, there was a story of a programmer who held the entire Ukrainian customs service as a hostage, because he was the only one familiar with the obscure codebase (that he has created himself).

Unfortunately, this is not a single case over the industry. When a Programmer Holds the Code Hostage tells a similar story that, frankly, could happen at any company.

What are the takeaways? Appeasement doesn't work. It takes some courage and will from the management to identify and successfully address the situation. There are even some tips on how to do it in the end.

#culture