Reddit debate: the real cost of automation is maintenance, not the build

FulcraDynamics · reddit · 2026-11-10

A Reddit poster argues that the hidden cost of automation lies in maintenance, not construction: APIs change, fields get renamed, triggers silently stop firing, and someone ends up babysitting the workflow.

The core claim: the right question isn't "can this be automated?" but "who fixes it when it breaks, and how often?" Some tasks are better left manual even when they look easy to automate on paper.

The post ends by asking the community which automations they'd tell others not to build and where they draw the line. Discussion, no concrete data yet.

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