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Software development is a relatively new job compared to others, but thinking about the politics of the bay area highlights to me how weak politically the "inst

Software development is a relatively new job compared to others, but thinking about the politics of the bay area highlights to me how weak politically the "institution" of software / information technology is as a special interest group. You can definitely think of a senator or congressmen who is "for the banks" or "for pharmaceuticals" even those who are "pro steel union" or "pro teachers union" but you really can't find any of note who promote an interest that can be specifically tied to what developers want. This is taking to account that developers are not a monolith and probably span a wide variety of political ideology, but I can't think of a single issue, whether or not it's in the majority opinion that is being advocated for in government. San Francisco in general is an interesting beacon, the city itself is not that large, and I would expect that there are enough full time developers in the city who live there who can at least get someone on the city council, and yet.. it really does not seem to be the case that there is someone who you can readily point to as an advocate. Am I drastically mistaken? Would love to hear further perspectives from folks in the bay. The most effective form of government is the one that is most local to you, when will developers put their weight on the scale?

danharaj 8y ago
> when will developers put their weight on the scale? In my experience, amongst software developers, contempt for politics is common and the politics that is most popular tends to be hyper-individualistic and unacquainted with the idea of common interest. It's almost as if it were optimized to make developers happy well-paid cogs in a machine that is transforming society without their direction.
sbov 8y ago
> but you really can't find any of note who promote an interest that can be specifically tied to what developers want. Well, everything you mention are organizations with figureheads you can call up and ask what they think. They can also give you money so you can pursue their ideas. I'm not sure who a politician would talk to if they wanted to be pro developer. I'm not sure who would give you money for being pro developer.
- 40acres 8y ago
  > I'm not sure who a politician would talk to if they wanted to be pro developer. This is part of my point, I can't think of any organization, no matter the size that is "pro-developer" this can be anything from advocating for the removal of non-competes, codifying some open source things into law, IP law reform, tax write offs for things like accelerators.. anything. > I'm not sure who would give you money for being pro developer. Developers would! Being a developer in America puts you firmly in the upper middle class nationwide. I think the nature of most developers is to organize in more decentralized and informal ways. IRC, mailing lists, github orgs, etc. At some point though we will need to realize that we are apart of the mainstream (our companies definitely have) and that there is a voice and mechanism of action to exert that voice to affect things.
adonnjohn 8y ago
I'm not from the Bay Area, but I think you present an interesting point. Is it possible that we don't have developers in government because they would prefer to focus on developing? The type of people that end up spearheading campaigns and taking leadership positions tend to be too busy with new priorities to continue previous activities. Managing staff, setting and achieving goals across a variety of disciplines, and ...leading may take the place of the inspiring moments that help justify their existence as a developer, especially overtime. It takes a specific type of person to want to take or make that change. Though software folk are exploding in numbers (source: am one), perhaps further care and attention is needed in balancing the social skills, creativity, and growth of tenacity of those that are attempting to improve their development abilities. Particularly if we want to create techies that are smart as a whip and can also hold public office effectively.
- 40acres 8y ago
  I think traditionally you're right, but I'm noticing a sea change. With tech companies becoming more diverse I think you're seeing a break in the cultural stereotype of developers: the google walk out regarding sexual harassment is marker to me. More people who break the stereotypical mold are moving into engineering, I think this trend will lead to the rise of something resembling a union and special interest groups.

danharaj 8y ago

> when will developers put their weight on the scale? In my experience, amongst software developers, contempt for politics is common and the politics that is most popular tends to be hyper-individualistic and unacquainted with the idea of common interest. It's almost as if it were optimized to make developers happy well-paid cogs in a machine that is transforming society without their direction.

sbov 8y ago

> but you really can't find any of note who promote an interest that can be specifically tied to what developers want. Well, everything you mention are organizations with figureheads you can call up and ask what they think. They can also give you money so you can pursue their ideas. I'm not sure who a politician would talk to if they wanted to be pro developer. I'm not sure who would give you money for being pro developer.

40acres 8y ago
> I'm not sure who a politician would talk to if they wanted to be pro developer. This is part of my point, I can't think of any organization, no matter the size that is "pro-developer" this can be anything from advocating for the removal of non-competes, codifying some open source things into law, IP law reform, tax write offs for things like accelerators.. anything. > I'm not sure who would give you money for being pro developer. Developers would! Being a developer in America puts you firmly in the upper middle class nationwide. I think the nature of most developers is to organize in more decentralized and informal ways. IRC, mailing lists, github orgs, etc. At some point though we will need to realize that we are apart of the mainstream (our companies definitely have) and that there is a voice and mechanism of action to exert that voice to affect things.

adonnjohn 8y ago

I'm not from the Bay Area, but I think you present an interesting point. Is it possible that we don't have developers in government because they would prefer to focus on developing? The type of people that end up spearheading campaigns and taking leadership positions tend to be too busy with new priorities to continue previous activities. Managing staff, setting and achieving goals across a variety of disciplines, and ...leading may take the place of the inspiring moments that help justify their existence as a developer, especially overtime. It takes a specific type of person to want to take or make that change. Though software folk are exploding in numbers (source: am one), perhaps further care and attention is needed in balancing the social skills, creativity, and growth of tenacity of those that are attempting to improve their development abilities. Particularly if we want to create techies that are smart as a whip and can also hold public office effectively.

40acres 8y ago
I think traditionally you're right, but I'm noticing a sea change. With tech companies becoming more diverse I think you're seeing a break in the cultural stereotype of developers: the google walk out regarding sexual harassment is marker to me. More people who break the stereotypical mold are moving into engineering, I think this trend will lead to the rise of something resembling a union and special interest groups.