The Standup with ThePrimeagen How BAD is Test Driven Development?
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May 14, 2025 
Join Casey Muratori, a software engineering expert and regular guest, as he digs into the quirks of Test Driven Development (TDD). They hilariously evaluate the pros and cons of TDD through real-world anecdotes. The discussion shifts to Progressive Driven Development, emphasizing careful changes for better user satisfaction. With amusing tales from the NeoVim project, they reveal the challenges of maintaining effective tests. Lastly, they delve into the paradox of code coverage, critiquing unrealistic standards with a witty nod to pop culture.
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Snapshots Degenerate Without Ownership
- Trash Dev finds snapshot tests often get mindlessly updated and become meaningless when requirements change frequently.
- He suggests snapshots can degrade into noise unless owners understand expected outputs.
Snapshots Help But Break During Exploration
- Prime finds snapshot testing attractive but fragile when inputs or outputs change during exploration phases.
- He believes unit tests don't reliably enable refactoring unless they are true end-to-end checks.
Test Stable, Well-Defined Components
- Add tests for components you expect to remain stable, like math libraries or memory allocators.
- Use tests to guard well-defined, low-change logic where refactoring risk is low.