I feel like I was only truly recognized when I had a technical leadership in place. Once they were replaced by managers with no understanding of software engineering, I started facing significant challenges in explaining why certain things needed to be done a certain way.
Nowadays, I understand why Zuckerberg has consistently hired technical people, even for management roles. It's easier to foster an environment where long-term quality isn't sacrificed for the sake of immediate delivery.
Managers who have never written a line of code often don’t understand why delivering a feature might "take too long." Their focus is purely on shipping as quickly as possible, driven by an ideal of constant improvement that only exists in their minds.
Any effort to address technical debt is seen as an obstacle to progress—progress that’s already hindered by overpromising to customers. Developers are left scrambling to deliver on unrealistic commitments, often working overtime to make things happen, no matter the cost.
And when developers inevitably burn out or leave, they just keep wondering why.
SOCIAL SHARE CARD GENERATOR