Passion vs. Profit: My Quest for Meaningful Craftsmanship in Tech

As I delve deeper into my work on Glossia and Tuist Cloud, I frequently find myself drawn to tasks that, while they influence the final product, aren’t necessarily seen as financial priorities by many. This leaves me in a conundrum: I can pursue what I genuinely enjoy but might not be financially rewarding, or I can focus on monetary gains and potentially lose out on the joy of the process. Striking the right balance is an ongoing challenge. It begs the question - what kind of world are we molding if human needs take a backseat?

Strangely enough, pursuing money doesn’t fulfill me. I recently attended an AI Meetup in Berlin, and left feeling hollow. The majority of conversations revolved around financial pursuits - raising capital, monetizing ideas, or selling startups. Shockingly, there was little to no discussion about the human-centric problems the showcased technology aimed to solve.

Ideally, I’d like a steady stream of income that lets me forget about financial woes altogether. But attaining this requires adopting a business-centric mindset which doesn’t resonate with me. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if financial stability was the byproduct of quality craftsmanship? This was evident with Tuist. A simple change on the website, showcasing logos of companies using our platform, suddenly piqued the interest of many. Ironically, this value was constructed without a monetary focus. Isn’t that paradoxical?

A recent endeavor of mine is Noora, a design system for Glossia, powered by Elixir and inspired by prominent JavaScript design systems. I recognized the superior design systems in JavaScript and felt it unjust for users to integrate additional complexity into their stack merely to access these systems. With Glossia in mind, I opted to embed this into its core and make it universally accessible. This also gave me a chance to delve deeper into Elixir macros. While such endeavors may not directly boost Glossia’s profitability, they refine the craftsmanship, enhance the product, and nurture a community - potentially drawing Elixir enthusiasts towards Glossia. A parallel can be drawn with Shopify and its significant contributions to the Ruby community, now a haven for Ruby developers.

Reflecting on this, I believe such an approach is what sets Tuist apart. It’s a project that oozes humanity and is primarily fueled by passion. Introducing a financial element is a necessity, a means to an end. My earnest hope is that once I reach that financial comfort zone, I can continue to revel in the sheer joy of craftsmanship. I wonder if others resonate with these sentiments? I’d be keen to hear your perspectives.