Technical Debt Is Like a Tetris Game
The best analogy for technical debt is debt - that is where it got the name from!  Just like financial debt, technical debt is not necessary a bad thing, but a tool - and something to manage, control and track. And just like financial debt, taking out too much technical debt without paying it back can crush you.<p>There is nothing wrong with taking out a mortgage (and thus getting into debt) to buy a house - you just need to understand how to pay it off.  Similarly, if you start a startup trying to find product-market fit before running out of money, there is nothing wrong taking on technical debt to do so, as long as you understand what you are doing.