Peopleware
Peopleware by Tom DeMarco and Timothy Listerby Tom DeMarco and Timothy Lister
Shares rank 4 of 12 management books by recommenders
Recommended as a rare management book built on measured outputs, with ideas about teams and workspaces that still hold up decades later. Critics say parts are too optimistic and some advice is wrong.
Recommended as a rare management book built on measured outputs, with ideas about teams and workspaces that still hold up decades later. Critics say parts are too optimistic and some advice is wrong.
7 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 5
- criticize it
- 2
- approval share
- 71%
Recommended in 3 of 13 months
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: recommended
- January 2026: not recommended
- February 2026: recommended
- March 2026: not recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: not recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: not recommended
- October 2026: not recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 5 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, not met.
- 2.5 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 3 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, not met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Still relevant despite age
“a VERY GOOD book about software development written in the 80s”
Comment from 24 Jul 2026 in “Nothing works and everyone is euphoric” “Peopleware[0] taught us this in 1987 already.”
Comment from 3 Dec 2025 in “Proximity to coworkers increases long-run development, lowers short-term output (2023)”
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
Too optimistic, feel-good tone
“It is such feel good fairy tale, that actually harms the reader.”
Comment from 12 Aug 2026 in “Five Programming Books That Changed How I Think” Not everything is correct
“I guess Peopleware couldn't get every single thing right.”
Comment from 17 Dec 2025 in “AWS CEO says replacing junior devs with AI is 'one of the dumbest ideas'”
Other management books people recommend
The four most recommended other management books, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Unaccountability Machineby Dan Davies | 11 | 0 | 100% | 6 | — | Approved |
| Turn the Ship Around!by L. David Marquet | 10 | 0 | 100% | 5 | — | Approved |
| Shape Upby Ryan Singer | 6 | 0 | 100% | 4 | — | — |
| Peoplewareby Tom DeMarco and Timothy ListerThis page | 5 | 2 | 71% | 3 | — | — |
| Team Topologiesby Matthew Skelton and Manuel Pais | 5 | 3 | 63% | 4 | — | — |
What people said
All 7 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“It is such feel good fairy tale, that actually harms the reader.”
“a VERY GOOD book about software development written in the 80s”
“local control of design by those who will occupy the space”
“only management science I read so far (with actual measured outputs and ideas)”
“I guess Peopleware couldn't get every single thing right.”
“Peopleware is an excellent book built on this premise.”
“Peopleware[0] taught us this in 1987 already.”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.