Hourly billing is the Internet Explorer of pricing.
Technically it works. But... why are we still doing this?
- You get punished for being fast.
- You get punished for being senior.
- You get punished for not dragging tasks out.
It’s madness. If you work smarter… you earn less. If you work slower… you earn more.
That’s a billing model? No. That’s tech debt wearing a necktie.
- Seniors ship in 2 hours.
- Juniors ship in 2 days.
- Guess who looks more “profitable” on paper?
Hourly billing turns efficiency into a liability. It tells seniors: “Please stop being good.” And tells juniors: “Take your time, champ.”
In what universe does that make sense?
So… why are we still pretending hourly billing is normal?