The Outsourcing Trap: Why Your Product Deserves Better
Here’s my twenty years of battling bullshit practices in software development consulting. Every month, I meet founders who’ve been burned by outsourcing agencies promising unicorns and delivering donkeys.
Reality Check #
Let me be clear: most development outsourcing is broken. Not just “needs improvement” broken, but fundamentally, structurally broken.
I saw this firsthand at JetThoughts when Agent Inbox came to us. They’d spent a year with an agency that promised “senior developers at competitive rates.” What they got was a GitHub repository full of copy-pasted Stack Overflow answers and a codebase that would make any self-respecting developer quit on the spot.
The Talent Mirage #
After founding three successful R&D departments and working with over 160 companies, I’ll tell you what these agencies won’t: Quality developers don’t want to work for them.
Think about it. Why would any skilled developer choose:
- Zero ownership over the product
- Being treated like a code-typing machine
- Half the market rate
- Random projects they can’t put on their resume
- “Management” by non-technical PMs who’ve never written a line of code
They won’t. That’s why these agencies are stuck with junior developers pretending to be seniors.
The Economics of Bad Code #
“But Paul,” founders tell me, “the rates are so much lower!”
Sure, just like that “Rolex” you can buy for $50. Let me show you what Agent Inbox got for their “bargain” development:
- Zero test coverage
- Security vulnerabilities you could sail a yacht through
- Database queries that would make PostgreSQL have an existential crisis
- Technical debt that would make a loan shark blush
The Culture Gap #
Here’s what really pisses me off: These agencies sell coding like it’s data entry. As if great software just magically appears when you type enough lines of code.
Spoiler alert: It doesn’t.
Real software development needs:
- Deep understanding of the business problem
- Genuine care about user experience
- Pride in craftsmanship
- Strong opinions about quality
- Actual technical experience (not just buzzwords)
At JetThoughts , we rebuilt Agent Inbox’s platform in 60 days. Not because we’re wizards, but because we didn’t waste time writing garbage code we’d have to throw away.
The Hidden Costs #
Want to know the real price of cheap development? Here’s what I’ve seen across hundreds of projects:
- Codebases so bad they need complete rewrites
- Features that break in production
- Security holes waiting to be exploited
- Technical debt that compounds daily
- Lost market opportunities
One of my clients learned this the hard way. Their “cost-effective” offshore team ended up costing them a year of market time and triple the original budget.
A Better Approach #
After seeing hundreds of projects succeed and fail, here’s what actually works:
- Start with a brutally simple MVP
- Find developers who ask “why?” before writing code
- Pay for quality (it’s cheaper in the long run)
- Trust your developers’ technical judgment
- Focus on outcomes, not hourly rates
The Way Forward #
The software industry needs to grow up. We need to stop pretending that development is like ordering widgets from a factory.
Quality software is crafted, not assembled. It requires thought, experience, and pride in the work. Anyone telling you different is selling something - and it’s probably junk.
What Now? #
If you’re stuck with outsourced code you’re not happy with, stop throwing good money after bad. Step back, simplify your requirements, and find people who actually give a damn about your product’s success.
Remember: Every line of code is a liability. Choose carefully who writes yours.
Want to continue this conversation? Let’s connect at JetThoughts . As a fractional CTO, I help founders avoid these expensive mistakes every day.
P.S. If you found this valuable, visit our case studies where I share more hard truths about building successful software products.