>it's a poor use of my time.
You state this as a fact, but it's it really true? Is "a years-deep backlog of papercut bugfixes" really that important? I don't think so, the bugs have waited for 4 years already, they can wait another year.
In contrast, good technical blog posts bring actual value to the world. You share your hard earned knowledge with others[1] - imagine how much poorer the world (or HN frontpage) would be if nobody wrote blog posts.
Blog posts also bring marketing value to your company (way more value than fixing the css bug in privacy policy that was filed 3 years ago), and bring value to you (by allowing you to self-promote).
I'm not saying everyone should write - I do it because I like it, and my job is in large part research so I have insights/stories to share. But claiming you don't do it because it's a poor use of your time is - in my opinion - an excuse .
[1] Assuming you have something to write about, instead of writing yet another post about a well covered topic, like "introduction to C++". In this case I agree, that - unless your approach is really novel - it's pointless.
there's an european engineering firm doing amazing work and they attract amazing engineers because, in part, they document their work via some youtube videos that rival the quality of most documentaries out there. fascinating work and fascinating videos. if anyone is looking for a video to watch today the drilling one and the moving bridge one are great https://www.youtube.com/@MartiGroup
Different people have different motivations, and some of them get a ton of satisfaction out of sharing knowledge with the world. It may not lead to maximum career earnings, but they’re operating under a different utility function.
It's perfectly reasonable for someone not interested in doing this sort of thing to push back--they won't do a good job anyway if they're being pushed to do it. Others get a lot of recognition by writing and speaking. I'm not even sure the hiring pipeline is that big a part of the rationale.
I wrote two internal memos and then quit. Exactly zero got made public. Imagine thinking this is a good use of time for a startup right after closing Series A.
One per IC per month.
You’d use that 60% to write a blog post and fix any bugs you felt inclined to. Obviously, if support duties were heavy, you wouldn’t write a blog post
However, a written artifact of your technical thinking and contributions with your name on it will outlast probably even the company.
These things matter. Unfortunately there's so much garbage self-promotion nowadays through Linkedin and other platforms that the pendulum has swung in the other direction for people with actual skills and expertise.
A rock lasts million of years.
People write company blogs only when required. That’s true. But it is incumbent on management to make that an incentive. Good technical blogs will attract talent when you want to hire.
For you - it’s a public validation of your job skills. 3 in-depth blogs will carry a lot more weight than a resume.
For the company - it’s a place to advertise the kind of work done to hire talented devs.
I suspect people mainly write blogs only when required - either they are forced to promote themselves by their circumstances (they are between jobs or they are an independent consultant) or their boss asks them to (a tech blog makes for good PR for our project).