10 Ways to Annoy Senior Developers (That Will Definitely Get You Code Reviews)

So, you’ve been waiting on that pull request review for three days now. Your ticket is stalled, your productivity metrics are tanking, and that senior developer who needs to approve your changes is suspiciously “in meetings” every time you slack them. It’s time for some advanced tactics.

1. Ask “Is This a Bug or a Feature?” For Everything

Nothing grabs a senior dev’s attention like questioning whether their precious legacy code is actually working as intended. The trick is to phrase it as innocently as possible: “Hey, just wondering if it’s a feature that the app crashes when a user enters an emoji in the search field?” Watch as they materialize from the ether to defend their creation.

2. Start Every Commit Message with “According to ChatGPT…”

Senior developers who spent years mastering their craft love being reminded that AI can do their job now. Bonus points if your AI-generated code actually works better than the pattern they’ve been defending since 2016. Extra bonus points if you specifically mention Claude Code instead.

3. Submit PRs with 3,000+ Line Changes

Everyone knows that the best code reviews happen when you change 27 files across 12 different components with a commit message that simply says “fixes stuff.” Senior developers absolutely adore having to parse through your entire refactoring of the authentication system that was snuck into a ticket about fixing a button color.

4. Randomly Rewrite Working Code in a Different Framework

“I noticed our form validation was working fine in React, so I took the initiative to rewrite it in Svelte!” There’s nothing like demonstrating your versatility by introducing an entirely new tech stack for a single component. The resulting architecture discussions will ensure your PR gets immediate attention.

5. Use Non-Descriptive Variable Names

const x = getUsers();
const y = x.filter(z => z.a === true);
return y.map(q => ({...q, b: q.c ? 'd' : 'e'}));

Why waste precious keystrokes on descriptive variable names when single letters work just fine? Senior developers with their fancy “clean code” principles will rush to review your PR just so they can leave passive-aggressive comments about your naming conventions.

6. Add Comments That Explain the Obvious and Ignore the Complex

// This is a function
function calculateTotalWithTax(items) {
  // Loop through items
  return items.reduce((total, item) => {
    return total + item.price * (1 + getCurrentTaxRateBasedOnLocationAndProductTypeWithSpecialExemptions(item));
  }, 0); // Return the result
}

Senior developers can’t resist the urge to “fix” comments that explain nothing useful while leaving complex business logic completely undocumented. It’s like catnip for them.

7. Reply “It Works on My Machine” to Every Question

When a senior dev questions why your code isn’t working in the staging environment, just shrug and deploy this classic line. For extra impact, make sure to mention that you’re using some obscure OS configuration that nobody else on the team uses.

8. Start Architectural Debates in PR Comments

Nothing says “please review my 5-line CSS fix” like a 12-paragraph comment questioning the entire application architecture. “While implementing this border-radius change, I noticed we’re not using microservices. Should we refactor the entire application before shipping this button update?“

9. Ignore All Linting Rules

Why conform to the team’s established coding style when you can create your own? Mix tabs and spaces, throw semicolons in randomly, and definitely ignore any alphabetical import ordering. Nothing will get your PR attention faster than breaking every single ESLint rule.

10. Ask for Reviews at 4:55 PM on Friday

The perfect time to submit your work is minutes before the weekend. For maximum effect, include the phrase “this is urgent and needs to be in Monday’s release.” Bonus points if you immediately go offline after requesting the review.

Conclusion: The Nuclear Option

If all else fails, there’s always the most potent strategy of all: actually walk over to their desk and ask for a review in person. This terrifying breach of developer social protocol is guaranteed to get results, though it may also get you labeled as “that person who talks to people” around the office.

Remember, these techniques are guaranteed to get you noticed, though not necessarily in a good way. Use with caution and preferably on senior developers with a good sense of humor… or those who are too close to retirement to care about mentoring you properly.

P.S. If you’re actually a senior developer reading this - I’m sorry for the PTSD flashbacks, and yes, I’ll fix those variable names right away.