The text explores the extremes of code deployment speeds, comparing the fastest and slowest instances in software development history. It recounts a story of a messaging company that once deployed code changes in as little as 11 seconds by using rsync directly to production servers, demonstrating the potential for rapid deployment. In contrast, it highlights some of the slowest pull requests (PRs) and software projects, such as a PR that took 1,857 days to merge and projects like GNU Hurd and "Duke Nukem Forever" that took decades to see completion, if at all. Despite these historical examples of slow progress, the text notes a modern trend towards faster development cycles, driven by improvements in CI/CD workflows and DevOps practices. It mentions Graphite's role in this acceleration, with features that promise to expedite code review processes and enhance engineering productivity, signifying a shift towards more efficient software development practices.