Seems like a weak analogy to me, because the architect’s role mentioned in the article are Android SDK and Mongo DB. Web developers then use Mongo to help build a scalable app.

Unlike house construction, the highly educated engineers who worked on the DB design have no role in decisions related to the app, or even knowledge of its existence.

This is quite unique to computer technology, and we’re not used to it as a society. Having experienced a hard landing after an engineering degree myself, I worry that society just doesn’t get it. We build composite things too complicated for any of us to understand, but we have to find some place in the stack to make a paycheck.

When I was in high school, engineering was the trendy thing. I feel that is less so now. The focus on code is a pivot to business. Trying to understand deep layers of your stack is paralyzing and terrifying.