I think that the GitHub comment should be extended beyond that and into non-academia projects. It should be emphasized that those hiring PhDs (and especially those that have been burnt - see this comment which exemplifies by experience http://chronicle.com/blogs/phd/2013/09/19/the-ph-d-industry-...) will be looking for evidence of work beyond academia. I am thinking within CS so I can't speak for the rest of STEM.

However the fault probably lies within the wider academia culture and the lack of expertise that academics/institutions provide to those wishing to leave and go to industry. Some PhDs genuinely do enter for the purpose of having a research career only to realise that academia is not for them and vice versa..