[jkFeiwi]

Not a developer, but laughing at this statement:

> Public personas are a professional necessity, especially in our industry

If I wasn't on hacker news, I would assume you were an actor or a radio talk show host. Maybe you're right, and developers need to have a public persona today. But why does it need to be that way? You aren't performers. You aren't politicians.

[chatmasta]

> You aren't performers.

Aren’t we though? How is a developer on a software project different than an actor on a set? How is a product requirements doc different than a movie script?

An actor can make or break a film just as a developer can make or break a software project.

I actually think there are far more parallels than differences.

[TheCoelacanth]

Which performers are in a movie is a major factor in who chooses to view the movie. Which developers created the software is not a major factor in who uses the software for most software. The only exceptions I can think of are software that is used mainly by other software developers.

[aje403]

Personas and reputations are beneficial in any human pursuit. People who are respected and acknowledged more by others have an advantage. We now have the internet and social media and other ways to market one's self. With less networked electric metal things involved, it has been that way since groups of primates started gathering together, and probably well before that with other species. Welcome to being a living being on Earth.