This is the No True Scotsman issue with testing. When it fails, you just disregard the failure as "bad tests". But any company that has anything that resembles a testing culture will have a good amount of those "bad tests". And this amount is way higher than people are willing to admit.
> you cannot refactor with any confidence
Anecdotally, I've had way more cases where I wouldn't refactor because too many "bad tests" were breaking, not because I lacked confidence due to lack of tests.
There are many things beyond tests that allow you refactor with confidence: simple interfaces, clear dependency hierarchy, modular design, etc. They are way more important than tests.
Tests are often a last resort when all of the above is a disaster. When you're at a place where you need tests to keep your software stable you are probably already fucked, you're just not willing to recognize it.
You shouldn't have zero tests, but tests should be treated as debt. The fewer tests you need to keep your software stable, the better your architecture is. Huge number of tests in a codebase is typically a signal of shitty architecture that crumbles without those crutches.
This is the No True Scotsman issue with testing. When it fails, you just disregard the failure as "bad tests". But any company that has anything that resembles a testing culture will have a good amount of those "bad tests". And this amount is way higher than people are willing to admit.
> you cannot refactor with any confidence
Anecdotally, I've had way more cases where I wouldn't refactor because too many "bad tests" were breaking, not because I lacked confidence due to lack of tests.
There are many things beyond tests that allow you refactor with confidence: simple interfaces, clear dependency hierarchy, modular design, etc. They are way more important than tests.
Tests are often a last resort when all of the above is a disaster. When you're at a place where you need tests to keep your software stable you are probably already fucked, you're just not willing to recognize it.
You shouldn't have zero tests, but tests should be treated as debt. The fewer tests you need to keep your software stable, the better your architecture is. Huge number of tests in a codebase is typically a signal of shitty architecture that crumbles without those crutches.