Why Your 'Full-Stack' Developer is Lying to You

The term "Full-Stack" has become the most abused term in tech recruiting. It suggests a unicorn who can design a beautiful UI, architect a scalable database, manage DevOps pipelines, and write marketing copy.

In reality, most "full-stack" developers are backend engineers who hate CSS, or frontend developers who are terrified of database migrations.

The Specialist Era

Complexity in web development has exploded. React Server Components, Edge functions, vector databases—the stack is deeper than ever. Hiring a generalist often means getting mediocrity across the board.

At Three Peaks, we don't believe in the mythical full-stack individual. We believe in full-stack teams. Systems built by specialists who know their domain deeply, but communicate fluently.

What to Look For

Instead of a jack-of-all-trades, look for:

• T-Shaped Skills: Deep expertise in one area, broad understanding of others.
• System Thinking: Developers who understand how their code impacts the business logic.
• Pragmatism: Avoiding resume-driven development (using new tech just to learn it).