Skip to content
HomeVideos
AllLongsCategoriesPlaylists
BooksBlogsPodcasts
HistoryListsWatch laterLiked videosFollowing

The videos, books, blogs and podcasts Hacker News keeps recommending, all in one place.

VideosBooksBlogsPodcastsAboutPrivacySettings

Data from Hacker News, HackerTube, HackerBooks, HackerBlogs and Open Library. Credits · Not affiliated with Y Combinator.

HomeVideosBooksBlogsPodcasts
Ctrl K

    Object-Oriented Programming is Embarrassing: 4 Short Examples

    Brian Will

    6 HN recommenders · recommended in 6 months, 2016–2025

    YouTube

    28:03 · 2.2M views · Mar 4, 2016

    Brian Will follows up his earlier anti-OOP video by walking through four short code examples, including Java code in the style of Uncle Bob, to show how object-oriented design complicates simple programs. It argues that OOP hides and scatters state and adds needless indirection.

    HN commenters point to it as a sharp, example-driven critique of OOP and Clean Code style, often alongside Brian Will's other anti-OO videos.

    Software Engineering & LanguagesSoftware architecture & designSoftware practice, open source & careers
    1. 44:35
      Object-Oriented Programming is BadBrian Will2.6M views • 10 years ago
    2. 37:15
      Stuart Halloway - Narcissistic DesignReaktor29K views • 9 years ago
    3. 52:48
      Object-Oriented Programming is Garbage: 3800 SLOC exampleBrian Will258K views • 10 years ago
    4. 1:23:35
      "Uncle" Bob MartinProgram on Entrepreneurship179K views • 11 years ago
    5. 1:48:42
      Clean Code - Uncle Bob / Lesson 1UnityCoin2.2M views • 7 years ago
    6. 2:27:34
      Casey Muratori – The Big OOPs: Anatomy of a Thirty-five-year Mistake – BSC 2025Better Software Conference929K views • 1 year ago
    7. 1:23:35
      Bob Martin SOLID Principles of Object Oriented and Agile DesignPeople career517K views • 11 years ago
    8. 38:47
      RailsConf 2014 - All the Little Things by Sandi MetzConfreaks190K views • 12 years ago
    9. 2:41:18
      Seminar with Alan Kay on Object Oriented Programming (VPRI 0246)Yoshiki Ohshima (大島芳樹)31K views • 8 years ago
    10. 1:01:39
      "Simple Made Easy" - Rich Hickey (2011)Strange Loop Conference220K views • 5 years ago
    11. 1:06:44
      Programming is terrible—Lessons learned from a life wasted. EMF2012tef ebooks1.7M views • 13 years ago
    12. 1:03:31
      Brian Goetz - Stewardship: the Sobering PartsClojureTV39K views • 11 years ago
    13. 1:32:47
      Data-Oriented Demo: SOA, compositionJonathan Blow201K views • 11 years ago
    14. 7:44
      Handmade Hero | Getting rid of the OOP mindsetvexe167K views • 9 years ago
    15. 22:41
      "Clean" Code, Horrible PerformanceMolly Rocket1.2M views • 3 years ago
    16. 25:01
      Dan Abramov The wet codebaseeswarnichtsmehrfrei27K views • 5 years ago
    17. 1:04:33
      Alan Kay at OOPSLA 1997 - The computer revolution hasnt happened yetJeff Gonis127K views • 13 years ago
    18. 1:13:24
      The Principles of Clean Architecture by Uncle Bob MartinNorfolkDevelopers591K views • 10 years ago
    19. 45:50
      "The Mess We're In" by Joe ArmstrongStrange Loop Conference398K views • 12 years ago
    20. 36:42
      Bottom Up vs Top Down Design in Clojure - Mark BastianClojureTV29K views • 10 years ago

    8 comments from Hacker News

    1. @ravenstineJul 2025· in “Python classes aren’t always the best solution”

      One of my favorites: "Object-Oriented Programming is Bad" [LINK] Followed by "Object-Oriented Programming is Embarrassing: 4 Short Examples". this video

      Strongly recommendsView on HN
    2. @rubyist5evaMar 2021· in “Why OO Sucks by Joe Armstrong (2000)”

      I highly recommend "Object Oriented Programming is Bad" and "Object Oriented Programming is Embarrassing" on Youtube. [LINK] this video

      Strongly recommendsView on HN
    3. @lazulicurioOct 2019· in “Why Isn't Functional Programming the Norm? [video]”

      There was an article on state in OOP posted here a few days ago that I found very thought-provoking[1]. The blog post and related youtube videos are pretty interesting as well[2][3][4]. [1] [LINK] [2] [LINK] [3] [LINK] [4] this video

      RecommendsView on HN
    4. @DrScumpMar 2016· in “Inheritance Is Terrible”

      Perhaps the Brian Will anti-OO videos provide more useful examples: [LINK] "Object-Oriented Programming is Bad" this video "Object-Oriented Programming is Embarrassing: 4 Short Examples"

      RecommendsView on HN
    5. @smnplkOct 2019· in “Object-Oriented Programming and Essential State”

      Check out this video this video from Brian Will, where he dissects 4 different code examples. I think one of the examples is also some Java code from Robert "Uncle Bob" Martin.

      RecommendsView on HN