There was a time when "Move fast and break things" encapsulated the tech industry's ethos: ruthless speed and iteration at the expense of caution. Even up until quite recently when I worked at Meta (then still Facebook), this phrase was still an internal rallying cry: iterate quickly, consequences be damned, because you can always fix what you break later.
But here's the catch: what once fueled rapid innovation has become a recipe for eroding user trust. Data breaches, privacy scandals, and mounting regulatory scrutiny have forced even the mantra's originators to admit it no longer works. Today's Meta has traded the old motto for a measured approach, now it's more like "Move fast with stable infrastructure." It may not have the same ring, but it underscores a fundamental shift in responsibility.
Speed will always be paramount in tech. However, moving responsibly, acknowledging user impact and maintaining trust, is the new baseline. It's high time we acknowledged that "Move fast and break things" has run its course. The real competitive edge in today's landscape is building with foresight, sustainability, and resilience.