💸 Remove the question tax: Why the best engineers ask more questions

AI eliminates the "question tax" that holds back engineers. Stop fearing "dumb" questions—learn faster, debug better, and accelerate your career with AI.

The best software engineers all share a secret: they ask a lot of questions. Yet as we progress in our careers, many of us develop an aversion to asking "dumb" questions. We fear judgment from peers or appearing incompetent to managers. This fear creates a "question tax"—a hidden cost that dramatically slows professional growth.

Ever held back a question because you didn't want to look inexperienced? You're not alone. The paradox is that the best engineers ask the most questions. Yet, many engineers waste hours trying to figure things out on their own rather than risk exposing a gap in their knowledge.

AI has fundamentally removed this question tax. With AI assistants like ChatGPT and Claude, we can ask anything without fear of judgment, creating a massive opportunity to accelerate our careers. The engineers who leverage this technology to embrace "productive ignorance" will outpace those who continue to pretend they know everything.

⭐ In this post you'll learn

• Why the fear of asking ques…