Why engineers struggle to get funding for paying down technical debt

The author recounts repeatedly pitching the same engineering work to different stakeholders using tailored justifications, since the technical argument rarely persuaded non-engineers. Although almost everyone acknowledges technical debt exists, few are willing to allocate resources to address it. The term, coined by Ward Cunningham, frames shortcuts as loans whose interest compounds over time. The author contrasts this with two later jobs brought in specifically to address debt, where the funding and mandate had already been secured, making the work far more straightforward.