From Play Pretend to Work Pretend - The Illusion of Productivity
- Andrew Flop
- Jan 21
- 5 min read
When Microsoft started firing low-performing staff in 2025, followed by similar moves from Facebook, Discord cutting 17% of its workforce, and layoffs at Twitch, Unity, Humane, and others, I wasn’t surprised. From my experience in the tech industry, most employees do little to no meaningful work. This isn't about working hard; it's about the reality that, in many cases, the work itself barely exists. Yet, salaries remain exorbitant. As a freelancer, I've often observed that corporate tech jobs prioritize appearances over actual productivity.
The current wave of layoffs and market corrections is shedding light on one of the greatest inefficiencies in modern business: the illusion of productivity in tech and the illusion of the need for developers. As someone who prefers freelancing due to its focus on real, valuable work, I’ve had the misfortune of experiencing firsthand the stagnation and pretense that characterize many full-time tech roles. I also appreciate freelancing for allowing me to avoid getting stuck in some corporation, vegetating with a weird niche technology that ultimately leads nowhere.
The Illusion of Work
I was once employed as a software developer at a prestigious medical healthcare corporation. Despite my eagerness to contribute, I found myself completing weeks-long tasks in mere hours. My attempts to engage with stakeholders and better understand our goals were often met with responses emphasizing the need to follow strict regulations due to the highly regulated nature of the business (medical device development.) Over five months, my real working hours barely reached 20% of my available time, excluding the endless, often pointless meetings. This pattern wasn't unique to this job; it's been a recurring theme throughout my career.
Before this role, I worked as an architect for a major accounting firm. Over a 7-month assignment, I truly worked for just half the time, barely. The rest of the time was spent in meetings and doing superficial maintenance to maintain the illusion of progress. Many of my colleagues shared similar experiences, often passing time taking naps at the office, playing Civilization in the meeting room, or taking very long lunch breaks.
This environment creates a bizarre reality where employees find little meaning in their work. Although some were smart and content—focusing on doing their own stuff—others found creative ways to utilize their free time. Some freelancers worked on other gigs they had in parallel, while others, who worked from home, mysteriously came back oddly tanned a few weeks later. Over time, many ended up vegetating and getting used to it, realizing that showing a pulse was more important than actually working. For some, the result was frustration and boredom, while for others, it was, and still is, pure heaven of freedom. A growing sense that the entire system is unsustainable lingers though.
Task Bloating: A way to escape reality
One of the most glaring inefficiencies in digital development is task bloating. Under the guise of agile methodologies, tasks that should take hours are expanded to fill entire weeks. This deliberate inflation ensures that employees remain busy in appearance, even when their actual workload is minimal.
In general, we operate like a well-organized system, almost like a mafia. If there's a task that requires two hours of work, it gets rounded up to a full day—sometimes even two days. This practice ensures everyone appears busy and safeguards job security, while the actual effort required is minimal.
Breaking down tasks into artificially difficult subtasks is a common practice. Simple decisions, such as selecting a cloud provider, are turned into complex, multi-week endeavors, involving numerous employees and redundant processes. The incentive structure rewards task bloating, ensuring that no one appears underutilized. However, there are sometimes people who spoil the party—mostly the infamous Drama Queen Developer, Architect, or Lead, who refuses to play along. They make everyone's life harder by pointing out problems that don't exist and demanding others to work harder. These individuals disrupt the carefully maintained illusion and create friction within teams that would otherwise run smoothly under the task-bloating system.
The Illusion of Productivity
Unlike other industries, tech work is difficult for outsiders to measure. Business executives often lack the technical knowledge to accurately gauge the effort required for a task, making them susceptible to inflated estimates. Additionally, the intangible nature of software development allows inefficiencies to persist without immediate consequences. Compounding this issue is the presence of the infamous Drama Queen Architect, who whispers bad advice to business decision-makers. These individuals manipulate perceptions by highlighting irrelevant concerns, exaggerating complexities, and insisting on unnecessary features, ultimately derailing progress and making everyone's job harder.
Freelancers, on the other hand, operate under a different set of expectations. Deliverables are clear, timelines are tight, and performance is directly tied to output. This contrast makes freelancing a far more fulfilling and productive experience compared to traditional employment in bloated tech organizations. BUT, many freelancers just adapt into the slow mindset and become barely performing task bloaters themselves within the specific project or customer they are working for.
The Freelancer Advantage
Having experienced both sides, I can confidently say that freelancing offers a refreshing escape from the inefficiencies of corporate tech. Freelancers are forced to prioritize efficiency and results, working directly with clients to solve real problems. There is no room for bloated tasks or unnecessary meetings—every minute counts. However, this is true mainly for efficient organizations. One danger freelancers face is adopting the customer's own developers' lazy mindset, slowly blending into the culture of inefficiency. Another significant challenge is the organizational structure itself, particularly in areas like DevOps or IT infrastructure, which can be heinously slow and effectively kill any velocity, rendering even the most proactive freelancers ineffective.
Successful freelancing requires a focus on:
Delivering measurable results
Continuous skill development
Effective communication with clients
While freelancing lacks the stability of full-time employment, it offers unparalleled opportunities for growth, creativity, and job satisfaction. For tech professionals frustrated with the corporate grind, freelancing can provide a viable alternative. However, this dynamic is changing rapidly with the rise of AI pushing people out of the market. AI is rapidly changing the landscape, especially in overly slow and bloated organizations, where automation is replacing roles that were once shielded by layers of inefficiency. What once seemed like an escape route may turn into a losing ticket as automation takes over. While corporate developers may find themselves 'promoted' to Prompt Whisperers—fine-tuning AI inputs instead of writing code—freelancers might face an even tougher reality as their flexibility becomes a liability in a market increasingly dominated by AI-driven solutions.
Conclusion
The illusion of productivity in tech is a well-kept secret that freelancers have long recognized. While the industry continues to grapple with inefficiencies, the future is expected to become less slack. Whether you're employed or freelancing, keeping your skills sharp and staying adaptable will be crucial to staying relevant in an increasingly automated and competitive landscape.
