Ask HN: What Matters Most in Tech? Awards, Media Praise, or Peer Respect

[SoundsDebatable]

What’s the biggest honor someone in tech can receive that isn’t money, a job title, or company success?

Is it being inducted into a Hall of Fame like the Internet Hall of Fame?

Winning a major industry award from groups like ACM?

Being profiled by top outlets such as Wired or TechCrunch?

Or is it something less formal — like earning deep respect from peers and being cited as an inspiration by other builders?

What do you think is the highest non-financial honor in tech?

[JacobArthurs]

Peer respect, without a doubt.

An award means a committee agreed you were impressive. Having engineers who've actually shipped things at scale cite your work unprompted means people with taste and context consider you credible.

[SoundsDebatable]

Yeah peer respect is important

[Chachingfm]

Depending on the person.

[toomuchtodo]

“What are you optimizing for, materially and emotionally?” Status? Validation? Material comfort?

Many can provide advice on what to chase and optimize for, only you can decide for you.

[SoundsDebatable]

True