Source Code is Poison

Many people believe that source code is an asset. It is not. I'm not the first to suggest this idea; there are numerous articles on the internet asserting that source code is not an asset -- it's a liability. However, I want to take this a step further and say that source code is not just a liability -- it's poison.

It's funny how many people and teams, deep down, understand this at a very intuitive level but never raise the issue or even discuss it. And yet, the shared (incorrect) notion of source code as an asset prevails. This is a significant problem.

Let's start with the definition of an asset. According to Investopedia, an asset is a resource with economic value that an individual, corporation, or country owns or controls with the expectation that it will provide future benefits.

Source code is indeed a resource. So, what's the economic value of source code? It lies in the value of the software that can be developed from it. However, the software is not the source code. The software is the product that can be used to solve problems or provide value. The source code is merely a means to create the software.

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