After being burn waaay too many times with one of: 1) write only code (for the sake of “speed” 2) optimization of the wrong piece of code

I do think it is much better to prioritize readability; then measure where the code has to be sped up, and then do changes, but try HARD to first find a better algorithm, and if that does not work, and more processor, or equipment is not viable or still does not work, go for less readable code, which is microoptimized

They're a manager and send out daily emails reminding the coders of arbitrary deadlines.