# How Gradual Technology-Stack Complexity Can Harm Startup Productivity

DevFeed: [How Gradual Technology-Stack Complexity Can Harm Startup Productivity](<https://devfeed.tech/articles/you-can-t-unboil-a-frog-17864.md>)

Original publisher: [Read original article](<https://encore.dev/blog/you-cant-unboil-a-frog>)

Author: Marcus Kohlberg

Published: 2023-09-12T00:00:00Z

Content type: opinion

Language: en

Sources: [Encore Updates](<https://devfeed.tech/sources/encore-updates.md>)

Topics: [Development](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/development.md>), [Library](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/library.md>), [Framework](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/framework.md>), [web applications](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/web-applications.md>)

Tags: [complexity](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/complexity.md>), [development](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/development.md>), [framework](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/framework.md>), [libraries](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/libraries.md>), [productivity](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/productivity.md>), [services](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/services.md>), [startup](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/startup.md>), [tech-stack](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/tech-stack.md>)

## AI overview

This commentary uses the boiling-frog metaphor to examine how incremental additions of features, libraries, services, and dependencies can turn a simple startup technology stack into a complex system. It argues that this complexity can reduce team productivity, slow changes, increase production risk, and create significant business costs.

## Source excerpt

How to Cope When Your Tech Stack is a Hot Mess of Complexity