The phrase “86 that” has long served as a versatile piece of slang, originally rooted in the service industry to signify the removal, cancellation, or rejection of an item or order. From a restaurant manager telling a chef to “86 the salmon” because it’s run out, to a bartender “86’ing” a troublesome patron, its meaning is universally understood as to get rid of, stop, or reject. In the rapidly evolving landscape of technology and innovation, this seemingly simple idiom takes on profound strategic implications. Within tech, “86’ing” is not merely about cancellation; it encapsulates the critical decisions made to deprecate features, sunset entire technologies, or discontinue projects – all essential maneuvers in the relentless pursuit of progress and efficiency. Understanding when and why to “86” something is paramount for companies striving to remain relevant and competitive in an industry defined by constant change.
The Etymology of “86” and its Entry into Tech Lexicon
While the precise origin of “86” remains a subject of urban legend, with theories ranging from restaurant codes to California civil codes, its core meaning of elimination or rejection has permeated various professional spheres. In the culinary world, it meant an item was out of stock or a customer was being ejected. In law enforcement, it could signify the removal of a person. The beauty of the phrase lies in its concise, unambiguous directive to cease or discard.
The adoption of “86” into the tech lexicon is a natural progression, given the industry’s dynamic nature. Developers, project managers, and product strategists inherently operate in an environment where ideas, features, and even entire product lines have finite lifespans. Unlike the tangible world where things might simply wear out, in technology, obsolescence is often a strategic choice, driven by innovation, market shifts, or resource optimization. When a software engineer says they’ve “86’d” a particular API endpoint, it means it’s been deprecated or removed. When a product team decides to “86” a legacy feature, it implies a deliberate strategic pivot. This informal adoption underscores the tech industry’s need for direct, clear communication regarding decisions that impact product development and user experience. It’s a shorthand for the complex process of lifecycle management, where the past must sometimes be shed to make way for the future.
Deprecating Features and Sunsetting Technologies
In the realm of tech and innovation, “86’ing” most commonly manifests as the deprecation of specific features or the complete sunsetting of older technologies. This isn’t a whimsical decision but a strategic imperative, often driven by a confluence of factors including evolving user needs, technological advancements, maintenance burdens, and security risks.
The Rationale Behind Sunsetting
The decision to sunset a technology or deprecate a feature is rarely taken lightly, as it can impact existing users, require significant communication, and incur migration costs. However, the benefits often outweigh the challenges. For instance, maintaining legacy codebases can drain engineering resources that could otherwise be allocated to developing new, innovative features. Old technologies may also pose security vulnerabilities that are difficult to patch, exposing users and the company to unnecessary risks. Furthermore, advancements in underlying infrastructure or algorithms can render older methods inefficient or slow, negatively impacting performance and user experience. By “86’ing” the old, companies can streamline their offerings, improve efficiency, and reallocate valuable resources towards cutting-edge developments, ultimately fostering a more robust and future-proof ecosystem. It’s a calculated move to prune what’s no longer serving a purpose to allow for healthier growth elsewhere.
Case Studies in Tech Deprecation
History is replete with examples of powerful technologies and ubiquitous features that were eventually “86’d” in favor of newer, better alternatives. Consider Adobe Flash Player, once indispensable for web animation and interactive content. Its deprecation and eventual end-of-life in 2020 marked a significant shift towards open web standards like HTML5, CSS3, and JavaScript, which offered superior performance, security, and cross-platform compatibility. The decision to “86” Flash was driven by security concerns, its resource-intensive nature, and the rise of mobile computing, where it struggled to perform. Similarly, companies like Google frequently “86” less-used services or APIs, such as Google Reader or various iterations of messaging apps, to consolidate efforts, reduce fragmentation, and focus on core offerings that have greater strategic value or user adoption. These decisions, while sometimes unpopular with dedicated users, are critical for maintaining agility and directing innovation where it matters most. They highlight the ongoing trade-offs between backward compatibility and forward-looking progress.
“86’ing” Projects: Innovation’s Necessary Evil
Beyond features and technologies, the concept of “86’ing” extends to entire projects. In the fast-paced world of tech and innovation, not every idea, no matter how promising it seems at inception, will come to fruition. Project cancellation, or “86’ing” a project, is a strategic maneuver that can save significant resources, redirect focus, and ultimately prevent companies from investing in endeavors that lack viability or market fit.
From Concept to Cancellation: The Innovation Funnel
Innovation often operates like a funnel: many ideas enter at the top, but only a select few emerge as successful products or features. This funnel includes stages like ideation, prototyping, testing, and scaling. At each stage, projects are rigorously evaluated against criteria such as market demand, technical feasibility, resource availability, strategic alignment, and potential return on investment. A project might start with significant buzz and initial investment, only to encounter insurmountable technical hurdles during development, discover a smaller-than-anticipated market, or find its value proposition eroded by competitor offerings. In such scenarios, continuing the project would be a sunk cost fallacy in action. “86’ing” it at an early or even mid-stage prevents further expenditure of time, money, and human capital on an unviable path. It’s a testament to good project management and a culture that values learning from failures rather than stubbornly pursuing them.
When to Pull the Plug: Data-Driven Decisions
The decision to “86” a project is rarely emotional; it is increasingly data-driven. Key performance indicators (KPIs), market research, user feedback, and internal resource analyses all play a crucial role. For a startup, recognizing that an initial Minimum Viable Product (MVP) isn’t gaining traction might lead to a pivot, effectively “86’ing” the original product concept in favor of a new direction. For larger tech companies, extensive A/B testing might reveal that a new feature isn’t engaging users as expected, leading to its cancellation before a full public release. Financial modeling might show that the cost of bringing a product to market far outweighs its projected revenue. Moreover, a change in corporate strategy or a sudden shift in market dynamics (e.g., the emergence of a disruptive technology) can necessitate the termination of projects that no longer fit the overarching vision. Successful innovators understand that true progress often involves acknowledging when to cut losses and redirect energy towards more promising ventures, making “86’ing” a project a strategic act of agility and resilience.
Embracing Obsolescence as a Driver of Innovation
The concept of “86’ing” in tech and innovation is fundamentally about embracing obsolescence not as a failure, but as an essential catalyst for progress. In an industry where “standing still means falling behind,” the continuous cycle of replacement and advancement is the very engine of growth.
The Cycle of Replacement and Advancement
Technology does not simply improve; it reinvents itself. Each new generation of hardware or software is built upon the lessons learned and the limitations encountered by its predecessors. This inherently means that older versions must eventually be phased out. Consider the evolution of mobile phone technology: from 2G to 3G, 4G, and now 5G. Each transition involved “86’ing” older network infrastructures and devices that could not support the new standards, pushing the boundaries of connectivity and capability. Similarly, in software development, frameworks and programming languages constantly evolve, rendering older methodologies less efficient or secure. This iterative process, where the old makes way for the new, drives technological advancement, leading to faster, more powerful, and more user-friendly solutions. Embracing this cycle is not just about keeping up; it’s about actively participating in shaping the future of technology.
Preparing for the Next Iteration
For companies and innovators, understanding and internalizing the “86” philosophy is crucial for long-term success. It means designing products with future iterations in mind, building modular systems that can adapt to changing components, and fostering a culture that encourages experimentation and is not afraid to let go of what isn’t working. Planning for obsolescence, rather than resisting it, allows companies to manage transitions gracefully, minimizing disruption for users while maximizing opportunities for innovation. This foresight involves developing clear communication strategies for deprecation, providing migration paths for users, and continuously monitoring market trends and technological breakthroughs. Ultimately, the ability to strategically “86” elements—be they features, projects, or entire technologies—is a hallmark of innovative leadership. It is the wisdom to know when to let go of the good to make way for the great, ensuring that the trajectory of technological progress remains ever onward.