In this article, the author discusses the phenomenon of blindly following trends in the tech industry, comparing it to the apocryphal Lemming-like behavior. They highlight that this trend-following behavior is not exclusive to software engineering but can be seen in other aspects of the industry as well. The author mentions that in 2022, a few prominent startups initiated layoffs, which led other VC-backed firms to follow suit. Similarly, when a prominent tech company enforced a return to office policy, others followed suit. The author also mentions the practice of “fire-and-rehire” in the UK, where employers change contracts to offer less beneficial terms. The author concludes by emphasizing how this trend-following behavior becomes the status quo, as everyone believes that if others are doing it, they should too.
https://www.leemeichin.com/posts/lemmings.html