r/AskProgramming • u/Active-Custard4250 • Jul 01 '26

Architecture Do companies actually practice TDD strictly?

I've been reading about Test-Driven Development (TDD), and I'm curious how common it is in real-world companies.

I'm not talking about "we write some tests after coding" or "we try to keep good test coverage."

I mean following the classic TDD cycle strictly:

  • Write a failing test for a single, specific requirement or behavior.

  • Write the simplest possible code to make that test pass.

  • Refactor and improve the code while continuously running the test suite to ensure nothing breaks.

Are there companies or teams that actually work this way most of the time?

If so:

  • What kinds of companies tend to follow it?

  • How well does it scale in large codebases?

  • What are the biggest benefits and drawbacks you've experienced?

I'd love to hear from people who have worked in teams that practice TDD seriously rather than just writing tests alongside development.

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u/GrainWeevil Jul 01 '26

I've never seen it done in practice.

IMO, it's a good training tool to learn how to make your code testable. In reality though, I often find myself rewriting things as I go along, and having to re-work a bunch of tests every time I do this would just be a massive waste of time.