[jcl]

I think the unhedged call is a better metaphor. The stuff you gain by writing sloppy code is not sales but saved development time. The potential downside is the development time spent debugging or updating the system.

The lost development time is bounded by the cost of reimplementing the system correctly, which is theoretically infinite (assuming a non-zero chance of error each time you reimplement it). But in practical terms it is merely expensive -- potentially more expensive than you can afford -- just like the financial case.

[bmm6o]

Regardless of which metaphor is a more accurate translation, "technical debt" is much more accessible. If you have to explain your turn of phrase, it's not going to catch on.