It’s been over a year since I bought Clean Code, and I’ve finally decided to read it.
Sometime after I bought it, I was talking to another developer about my new acquisition, and they told me the book was already outdated—that it didn’t make sense to read it anymore, especially with the rise of AI.
So, more than a year later, I decided to read it anyway and draw my own conclusions.
The verdict: If you’re a dev, read at least the first chapter. Uncle Bob really went off! (Or as we say in Brazil, he really delivered).
Chapter 1: Clean Code
He starts by talking about how programming will always exist. He addresses rumors—which were already circulating back in 2008—that programmers would lose their jobs to new ways of building applications. According to him, these are nothing more than speculation. As long as we need to translate requirements into a product, the bridge between the two is, and always has been, code.
He then dives into the obstacles that damage the coding process, like giving in to external pressures (usually management) to code faster.
This leads to "monstrous" code that fails to result in a durable or scalable product, eventually forcing a total refactor. He even cites a case where this entire mess took 10 years to fix.
The Doctor Analogy:
Imagine you’re a surgeon about to operate on a patient. You know you need to wash your hands first. But your "client" (the patient) says washing hands is nonsense and demands to be operated on immediately. As a doctor, you know the lethal consequences of operating with dirty hands. So, despite the patient’s complaints, you wash your hands before starting the procedure.
In this scenario, we—programmers—are the doctors. When it comes to code, we must "wash our hands" as many times as necessary to ensure quality.
Finally, this first chapter explores the definition of clean code from other tech legends. I won’t go through them all, but here are two that I found particularly beautiful:
"Clean code is simple and direct. Clean code reads like well-written prose..."
— Grady Booch, author of Object-Oriented Analysis and Design with Applications
"Clean code always looks like it was written by someone who cared."
— Michael Feathers, author of Working Effectively with Legacy Code
These two quotes reminded me of how cool and important writing code actually is. Reading this chapter made me want to find that "tech consciousness" in the market—the one Uncle Bob describes as existing within certain programmers and company cultures—which often feels very different from what most of us experience in our daily jobs.
This leaves me with the perspective that the battle of good code vs. bad code has always existed, and AI has only amplified the stakes. Perhaps now, universities and formal education will serve as vital knowledge validators—separating those who only know how to send a prompt from those who actually know how to study and build.
I’ll keep reading and sharing my thoughts on each chapter.
Thanks to everyone who read this far! Just so you know, I also recorded a video about this for YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@gabizaor
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