There’s a common belief in tech: to stay relevant, you must constantly chase the newest frameworks, languages, and tools. But what if the opposite skill — mastering outdated systems — is equally, or even more, valuable?
Former Meta tech lead Alex Chiou recently posted that “reading terrible legacy code is a much more important skill than writing fresh good code.” And he’s right. Unless you join a brand-new startup, chances are you’ll spend much of your career working in someone else’s codebase — and often, in systems that have been around for decades.
Legacy Tech Is Everywhere
The idea that most companies have modernized their entire stack is a myth. From banking systems running on COBOL, to manufacturing software tied to proprietary APIs, to government agencies still operating on Windows NT, legacy systems run a massive share of the world’s critical infrastructure.
Even in big tech, the deeper you go, the messier it gets. Large, successful companies have code touched by dozens (sometimes hundreds) of developers over the years. The result? Layers of spaghetti logic, half-documented business rules, and design decisions made under constraints that no longer exist.
At the end of the day, all code ages. What feels modern today will be tomorrow’s legacy — and the next developer will face the same challenge of reading, understanding, and making sense of it.
Why Old-School Skills Still Matter
Being able to read, understand, and work within old systems is more than just a survival skill — it’s a competitive advantage. It means you can:
- Keep mission-critical systems running while the business explores modernization.
- Troubleshoot issues when documentation is missing or wrong.
- Translate undocumented logic into maintainable, updated processes.
- Evaluate replacements with a deep understanding of what’s being replaced.
In other words, legacy fluency buys companies time — and time is often the most valuable commodity during transformation. Modernization projects rarely happen overnight; they can take months or even years to complete. During that period, the organization still needs its existing systems to operate reliably. If those systems go down, business operations stall, customers are impacted, and transformation goals are delayed.
Being able to keep those legacy systems running smoothly while new solutions are built is like having a safety net. It gives the company breathing room to plan migrations carefully, test changes thoroughly, and avoid risky “big bang” cutovers that could jeopardize both revenue and reputation.
The Mix That Wins: Old and New
Of course, you can’t build the future on legacy knowledge alone. The most effective teams combine two kinds of talent:
- Maintenance Talent (the old folks) — people who’ve been through the toughest systems, know the quirks and history of the code, and can repair or adapt it without breaking what’s already working.
- Transformation Talent (the new folks) — professionals who bring modern frameworks, fresh perspectives, and forward-looking practices that make systems more maintainable, scalable, and aligned with current business needs.
When these two work together, organizations get the best of both worlds: stability and innovation. Maintenance Talent ensures the systems that keep the business running don’t collapse during change, while Transformation Talent paves the way for scalable, maintainable solutions. The challenge is getting both groups to share knowledge and work toward the same outcome.
It’s worth noting that the need for talent in emerging technologies often gets more media attention — and for good reason, given the opportunity cost of not adopting new tools that can drive innovation or reduce costs. But in the shadow of that spotlight, the role of developers who understand and maintain legacy systems is frequently underestimated. These are the people who keep the invisible machinery of operations running day after day.
As the old IT adage goes: “The work is done well when nobody notices.”
The Opportunity Cost Question
Some argue that keeping legacy skills sharp takes time away from learning high-ROI “buzzword” technologies. That’s true — but it’s also a question of balance. Legacy maintainers might not create flashy demos, but without them, the business might not function long enough to experiment with the next big thing.
The Long Game
Legacy systems will be with us for years. Many companies still run a significant part of their operations on them — and will likely continue to do so for quite some time. Modernization is a delicate process that requires time, coordination, and careful planning.
During that transition, it’s critical that existing systems continue to operate without disruption. The teams who still depend on them — and the processes that rely on the data they produce — can’t afford downtime, bottlenecks, or unreliable outputs. This is where deep legacy knowledge becomes a strategic asset, ensuring stability while transformation efforts move forward.
The paradox is that you need experts in the old stack to dismantle it— and when done right, those same experts transition to the new stack along with the systems.
At Inclusion Cloud, we help you find that sweet spot for your team — combining the right mix of Maintenance Talent and Transformation Talent. Whether you need individual experts to strengthen your current team or Agile Pods and cross-functional teams ready to accelerate your initiatives. Contact us!