Why does Developer Experience matter and what is it to me?

This is taken from my nomination that I’ve made for myself for the Technical Lead role of the newly formed CNCF’s Technical Advisory Group (TAG) of Developer Experience [link]. I was chosen and I can’t be more excited to give back to CNCF for all of the things that has made possible upon me, and to work on enhancing Developer Experience on CNCF projects.

Developer Experience is something that is very dear to me but it’s not only a mere technical concern; it’s something deeply personal and philosophical.

I believe that building and creating things are among life’s most profound sources of joy as human beings, especially when our creations benefit those we care about and potentially millions worldwide. Be it music, painting, writing, craft, and of course, including software, that spark is universal.

And that’s what draws me, and I know many other developers, to building software to begin with, that we could build something beneficial for countless people almost out of thin air, armed only with our machine and its set of tooling.

And even now, software has already been a tremendous enabler and multiplier in every aspects possible. Be it healthcare, economics, frontier natural science, laws and public policy, and many others. Add that with the recent advancement of computing, cloud, and AI, just how massive it can be to unlock much greater possibilities.

I come from a country where many people don’t have the privilege of choosing work that aligns with their passions, where survival often dictates profession. I’m deeply grateful to work in the Developer Experience field, where I can build platforms and tooling that enable developers to focus on what matters most to them: developing software that helps millions of people, where I can build something that help them to experience the joy of creation.

Imagine a world where more people genuinely enjoy their work, which consumes a significant portion of their lives. A world where they can then fully enjoy time with family and loved ones, having experienced a fulfilling day at work. I believe it is a right for developers to have access to the tooling and platform that bring them joy, enabling them to focus on creating software that, in turn, brings joy to others. It’s not a luxury only experienced by the big tech engineers.

That’s what Developer Experience means to me: tools that just work and brings joy—like how a hammer serves builders, a stethoscope serves doctors, or how we know Heroku introduced us to a new set of quality standard of how good Developer Experience could be. WE know how to use those effortlessly yet still provide so much leverage. It’s infrastructure that empowers and platforms that amplify. All so developers can help others create a better world for as many people as possible.

When we get Developer Experience right, we don’t just make developers more productive - we unlock human potential at scale. We enable creators to create and innovators to innovate. And through that ripple effect, we help build a world where technology is being served for the greater good.