In July of 2010 I was 22 and working at a Social Gaming startup in California. I'd just graduated and this was my first real job. I had a pay check and an apartment. I felt grown-up, for the first time. I was one of two 'engineers' writing code for the company's flagship product, an RPG. I'd studied Philosophy in college, and that meant that, while I knew how to think through a problem, my knowledge of best practices, and sensible design patterns was minimal. I wielded my basic LAMP knowledge, with incredible enthusiasm.

Hacker News is a community-driven platform for sharing and discussing technology news, startups, and programming-related topics. Through user submissions and comments, Hacker News offers insights into emerging technology trends, industry developments, and entrepreneurial ventures. Readers can participate in discussions, share their insights, and stay informed about the latest advancements in technology and innovation.

Hacker News

At 22, the author was a junior engineer at a social gaming startup. Tasked with implementing a significant feature in the company's RPG, they accidentally deleted the USERS table containing critical data for tens of thousands of paying customers. The company had no recent backups, leading to a major crisis and emergency data recovery efforts. The author faced significant emotional and professional fallout, ultimately resigning and moving to New York City.

Firing Myself

<p>It’s not his fault. It’s the DBA’s fault he has too much user privileges and there are no dev/testing environments. He shouldn’t feel too bad, as this mistake could happen to all of us. This is why senior sys admins and engineers are there to make sure such human errors don’t happen.</p>
