The archive
Issue #024
Client Horror Stories 6 min read· 8 Oct 2026The Night Badger NDA
A masked client. A secret identity. An NDA thicker than a phone book. And a command system that keeps timing out because someone put surveillance feeds, vehicle telemetry, and crime analytics in the same database. I work in consulting.
CTO takeaway
The lesson, minus the scar tissue.
- NDAs aren't about being mysterious. They're about trust. Honor them.
- Always read the NDA. Even if you're going to sign it anyway. Especially if you're going to sign it anyway.
- If someone puts surveillance feeds, vehicle telemetry, and crime analytics in the same database, you have permission to cry.
- Normalization isn't optional. Even for superheroes.
- 'badgerboy123' is not a password. It's a cry for help.
- Some projects are confidential for a reason. Respect that.
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A comic, a story and a takeaway every other week. Written for founders who inherited a codebase they didn't choose.
