No Condescension Rule

We communicate to be understood, not to look smart. Clear beats clever.

Don't Explain Things with More Jargon

"If you can't explain it to a six-year-old, you don't understand it yourself." — Richard Feynman

Explain things as simply as they'll go. Don't bury the point under your whole tech stack, or use ten technical terms where one plain sentence would do.

Clarity is the real mark of expertise. If you can only explain something in jargon, there's a good chance you don't fully understand it yet.

Don't Explain Things to Feel Good About Yourself

You explain something to move the work forward, not to show off how much you know. Don't intellectually masturbate in front of people; your idea is only as good as your ability to convince someone of it.