# Six questions to check a codebase without reading it

By Venus Paneliya, full-stack AI engineer. Category: Founders. Originally posted on LinkedIn.

You can’t read code. That’s fine.

You can still evaluate whether your codebase is healthy or a ticking time bomb. You just need to ask the right questions.

Most non-technical founders rely entirely on their developer’s word when it comes to code quality. “It’s fine” or “we’re in good shape” is what they hear. Until something breaks. Then it’s “well, we have some technical debt.”

I put together 6 questions you can ask without understanding a single line of code. Each one reveals something specific about the health of your product.

No jargon. No technical knowledge required. Just questions that force honest answers.

Save this. Share it with a founder friend who’s working with a developer right now.

Non-technical founders: what question do you wish you’d asked your developer before signing the contract?

The original post includes a document: Six questions to check a codebase (8-page document).

Canonical: https://venuspaneliya.com/writing/six-questions-check-a-codebase/