[bunderbunder]

The "technical debt" metaphor gets so much better if you take the analogy more literally than most people do. Like for financial debt, the optimal amount is not necessarily zero. Oftentimes taking on or carrying debt allows you to generate more profit than you could by avoiding it or paying it down.

That said, most places I've worked manage it poorly. Few people really understand that, just like financial debt, it's something that needs to be taken on and managed in a mindful and deliberate manner.

[eru]

Also, if you do take the finance metaphor, going into debt is not good by itself. It's the investments you make with that debt that are good, and potentially outweigh the burden of debt. (And can be cheaper than equity financing.)

Going back to programming: debt-fuelled programming should buy you something, eg speed to market, and is not a good in itself.