I want to help folks. That’s one of my driving forces in software development. I don’t want to simply build for the sake of building, my code nothing more than a digital ouroboros. There needs to be a sense of purpose to what I’m investing my time in, something greater than “hey, look at this thing I made, aren’t I oh-so-clever?”. I’ve always found deep satisfaction in finding out when my work can truly help others. Otherwise, I’m writing code for the sake of writing code, and that way leads to petty arguments, a territorial “us” vs “them” attitude, rather than what does the most good.
Perhaps one of the best-resonating articles I've read on the philosophy of why I do what I do, the culture, and aspirations behind it. A true gem from over 7 years ago.