How Much Does a Wrong Technology Choice Cost?
In nearly 20 years in IT, I have witnessed firsthand how new technologies are born, develop, fade away, and… die. Some, on the other hand, only strengthen over the years and become a stable foundation for business.
One of the CTO’s tasks is not only to choose the right technologies for the task but also to consider the support costs of these technologies in the future and assess the potential risks of a significant increase in these costs.
Let me explain with an example. Not so long ago (relatively 😁), the popularity of the Ruby programming language skyrocketed, along with the Ruby on Rails framework for web application development. Many companies and teams decided to develop new products using this trendy technology. But after a few years, the language began to gradually lose popularity.
What has this led to today? You won’t find Ruby developers easily today, and those who need to find them are forced to “pay extra” for their rarity, and quite substantially.
As a result, some projects that started with this trendy technology now spend much more on support than they could have. Some had to switch to other languages at some point, and others simply shut down because they couldn’t handle the technology change or couldn’t afford to pay Ruby programmers at a premium.
That’s why, when I’m asked “Why does a CTO need to be there,” I cite this example as the most illustrative. Their role is not to follow the tech hype but to make decisions considering economics, risks, and a multi-year horizon.
And returning to the question “How much does a wrong technology choice cost,” the most honest answer is — sometimes it can cost the entire business.
Мой личный склад идей
#128 · Published: 2026-01-07 07:00 UTC
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Summary
This article emphasizes the critical importance of strategic technology selection for businesses, highlighting the long-term financial and operational risks associated with choosing the wrong technology. Drawing from nearly two decades of IT experience, the author illustrates how technologies evolve, fade, or become industry standards. A key responsibility of CTOs is to evaluate not only the immediate suitability of a technology but also its future support costs and potential risks. The example of Ruby and Ruby on Rails demonstrates how trendy technologies can lead to unforeseen challenges; as popularity declines, the scarcity of skilled developers increases support costs, forcing companies to either switch technologies or face shutdowns. This underscores the importance of making informed, risk-aware decisions rather than following tech fads. The article concludes that poor technology choices can have severe consequences, potentially costing the entire business, and stresses the need for CTOs to consider economics, risks, and long-term stability when making technology decisions.
Keywords
technology selection riskscost of wrong technology choiceIT technology support costsCTO technology decisionbusiness technology strategytechnology lifecycle managementrisks of trendy technologieslong-term technology planningcost of technology failuresupport costs of programming languagesRuby on Rails challengestechnology risk assessment
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