Understanding high-order bits

I recently read Steven Sinofsky’s article introducing the idea of a ‘high-order bit’. Here’s how he defines it:

Over time everyone develops a “high order bit” for how they view any new development. In software/biz it might be specific tech principles, org philosophies, pricing, positioning, competitors, etc..

People react to new inputs calling on or context of high order bits.

In the article, he talks about his own high-order bit being “shipping software”. I thought it was pretty cool that he was able to identify his own high-order bit since that indicates a certain level of self-awareness. He also mentions that it can be useful to be aware of others’ high-order bits to be able to work well together. So I decided to explore my own high-order bit and those of the people I have worked with.

Before I share my high-order bit, I want to share how I went about identifying mine. Here’s my criteria: if someone were to observe me or look through my past actions, it should be easy to identify my high-order bit. Of course, people change over time but high-order bit doesn’t change that easily. It is more like a value that trumps all other values or at least determines your default behavior in a lot of situations. If you find yourself taking a position in a completely new domain or find yourself agreeing with someone you don’t know, then it’s quite likely it reflects your high-order bit. (Of course, you can also influence others when you know their high-order bit)

My high-order bit

My high-order bit is “moving fast”. People who know me will probably nod their heads as they read this! I have even written about this in the past, so not really a surprise. To be clear, I am not claiming that I move fast always but I value moving fast so much more than most other things. I can explain a lot of actions and decisions using this high-order bit. Here are a few examples:

• I enjoy building product features because there is a lot of iteration necessary to get it right. So moving fast becomes a virtue and a necessity in this area and hence a perfect fit for me.
• My fascination with productivity tools and identifying more efficient ways to do things can be explained by this.
• When someone asks questions or raises concerns (sometimes valid) which delay projects, I get annoyed.

I am personally happy with this being my high-order bit but I do recognize the downsides. For example, someone I work with may not feel like they had a chance to express their opinion before I took action. So I need to work hard to find ways to mitigate that without compromising too much on moving fast. Overall, I can safely say that it’s been a net positive for me so far.

Other high-order bits I’ve seen

I’ll try to list these for the people I have worked with a decent amount. It is worth noting that this is completely my perception and these people may self-identify very differently. This is totally normal since my interactions with them shape my perception. I also recognize that my own high-order bit plays a role in how I view others who operate differently from me. So there is nothing inherently positive or negative about any of the ones listed below, just different.

1. Data is supreme

When working in a product company, it is hard to escape discussion around metrics (and rightfully so). So it is inevitable that there are some individuals who live and breathe data that it colors all their opinions. Some data scientists and ML engineers fall into this category but it is expected since data is core to their success. But there are a lot of others who recognize the limitations of data and see it as yet another tool.

At times, I find data-oriented people to be great partners to work with to balance my own need to move fast. So if they make data-backed claims then it can help a team move quickly. Of course, we need combine this with good judgement to be effective.

2. Perfection seeker

Some engineers spend time on a lot of minutiae that don’t really matter. They often come up with over-engineered solutions which from their perspective would perfectly solve the problem at hand. But they don’t realize that the problem may not even be worth solving in the first place. If you have come across people building needlessly well-designed APIs and abstractions, you know what their high-order bit is.

After repeated interactions with people like this, I have a hypothesis for this mindset – they view engineering as an art rather than something that serves a business need. They get satisfaction from work that looks great and elegant. These people can be valuable assets in an organization but they need to be in the right roles. For example, someone on a platform team can succeed with this mindset as long as they are paired with folks who keep them aligned with what matters.

3. Consensus driven

This is the person who wants to get everyone’s input on everything. This is driven by either a need for validation or a general lack of conviction on what needs to happen. This can also stem from a desire to be liked or caring about people so much. This type of person is usually very well-liked since they never ruffle any feathers. But depending on the circumstances, their impact is also probably much lower than it could be. If you notice someone calling too many meetings or involving too many people as a default strategy, then they likely fall in this category.

---

I really like the use of high-order bit as a common vocabulary that will help us work well with others. We all like to think we are unique and interesting in everything we do but we are fairly predictable in a lot of ways. That’s what the idea of a high-order bit tries to capture.

I would love to hear about your own high-order bits. So please share them in the comments 🙂