Why Technologists Must Understand Business and Management

Two days ago a reader shared a Zhihu answer that resonated with me, so I reposted the original content here.

What is the sorrow of a technologist?

The sorrow is that if you want to eat the "technology" diet, you must follow the expert path, yet most software development in China is application‑oriented, and the money goes to applications, not to experts.

This path is a single‑track bridge; eventually you realize that the technologies you study are useless and unprofitable.

For example, I once enjoyed studying pessimistic and optimistic locks, but later discovered a framework that handled them all, and our business volume never required such expert‑level solutions.

China lacks people who understand management, technology, and business simultaneously.

Very few programmers can explain their company's business or articulate the boss's thinking.

CTOs often showcase technical ideas, but when it comes to business, many only recite superficial marketing material, lacking real insight into how the company makes money, industry trends, or business model innovation.

When it comes to management, many are clueless, struggling even with communication, let alone motivating staff or building a technical Center of Excellence.

At this level, a 35‑year‑old technologist is unlikely to be eliminated, but who will be?

People talk about “involution,” but if you only know technology you become just a senior developer; a 28‑year‑old can do the same work, leaving the 38‑year‑old with no extra value.

Why should a technologist understand business and management?

I’m not demanding you master these areas; I’m simply stating that if you only dig into technology, the ceiling is very low.

Whether you choose to break through by adding business and management skills is up to you.

A story of a technologist’s powerlessness in the industry

China’s most vivid example of technology impact is e‑commerce and payment services.

Alibaba is a world‑class leader with high concurrency and availability, daring to run massive “Double‑11” flash sales.

My friend entered the payment industry in 2012 as a technologist. The most profitable period was 2015, when P2P lending boomed.

In 2015 the company posted billions in profit, the sales champion earned 9 million RMB, the chief product officer 4 million RMB, but the CTO earned less than 1 million RMB, merely “drinking soup” with the tech team.

From 2016 onward, regulatory changes—unified reserve funds, network clearing, channel homogenization, the rise of fourth‑party payments, and tighter supervision—caused third‑party payments to decline.

Remember this: it is industry trend analysis

Business is simply how a company makes money.

Most technologists ignore this, so in 2016 they were still excited, believing profits would continue.

Everyone competed on technical strength, rank, and salary increments.

When P2P companies disrupted the market, those with a financial background saw their compensation double.

By 2017, the foresighted had already left the payment industry. In 2018, a colleague who previously worked on the middle‑office switched to internal entrepreneurship, studying regulation, market, customers, and business models, eventually concluding that third‑party payments were doomed.

He later refused any CTO offers, refusing to return to payment companies.

In 2016, only a “god‑like” person could foresee the payment collapse; in 2017, a “bull‑like” person; in 2018, an ordinary person; by 2019‑2020 most who kept chasing third‑party payments were essentially dead‑ends.

Why tell this story?

Technologists can choose to ignore the outside world and focus solely on code.

But that road is a narrow bridge with a low ceiling and intense competition.

An industry’s rise or fall can determine the magnitude of your golden decade.

Life is short; if you miss the chance, it’s gone. Staying in the tech field is fine if you accept it, but you must walk your own path.