How to Evaluate Tech Advice

You don’t need to understand the technology. You need to understand the tradeoffs.

When someone recommends a technical approach, don’t ask “is this the right technology?” Ask “what am I giving up by choosing this?”

Every technical decision has a cost. Speed versus flexibility. Simplicity versus features. Build versus buy. The best advisors make those tradeoffs visible. The worst ones hide behind complexity and expect you to trust them.

Here’s what I’ve learned: the quality of technical advice is inversely proportional to how much jargon it takes to explain. If someone can’t tell you why their recommendation matters in plain language, they either don’t understand it themselves or they’re not optimizing for your success.

Watch for the advisor who asks about your constraints before offering solutions. Who says “it depends” and then actually explains what it depends on. Who gives you two options and walks you through what you’d gain and lose with each.

Be wary of the one who has the same answer for every problem. Who recommends the stack they’re most comfortable with, not the one that fits your situation. Who makes you feel dumb for asking questions.

You’re not evaluating their technical knowledge. You’re evaluating whether they can translate that knowledge into decisions you can own.

The right advisor makes you smarter. The wrong one makes you dependent.

What’s the best question you’ve learned to ask when evaluating technical advice?