July 8th, 2024

DevRel's Death as Zero Interest Rate Phenomenon

Growing concerns surround Developer Relations (DevRel) decline in tech, yet San Francisco's demand for DevRel professionals remains high. Layoffs and reduced compensation impact junior roles. DevRelCon participation drops, signaling market changes. Companies like Tailwind CSS thrive without extensive DevRel teams, hinting at industry shifts. Reevaluation and alignment with company goals are urged for DevRel strategies to evolve and stay relevant.

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DevRel's Death as Zero Interest Rate Phenomenon

In the past six months, there has been a growing discussion about the potential decline of Developer Relations (DevRel) in the tech industry. Despite this speculation, the demand for DevRel professionals in San Francisco remains high, indicating the continued importance of DevRel in raising developer awareness and education. The industry has seen layoffs and compensation decreases, particularly affecting junior roles. DevRelCon has experienced a decline in participation, reflecting a shift in the market. Companies like Tailwind CSS, PlanetScale, and LangChain have succeeded without extensive DevRel teams, suggesting a changing landscape in the industry. The article highlights past shortcomings in DevRel practices during the Zero Interest Rate Phenomenon (ZIRP), emphasizing the need for a reevaluation of strategies and a focus on aligning DevRel efforts with company goals. Moving forward, there is a call for the evolution of DevRel practices to adapt to the changing industry dynamics and ensure continued relevance.

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By @jauntywundrkind - 7 months
DevRel feels so in the spirit of Cluetrain Manifesto. Which should make it such a fulcrum for company success, for showing the versatility & flexibility of your offerings & helping forging bridges.

Alas, in these days we & our companies are having more of a burnt out Gluetrain Manifesto moment/age (through probably only a little bit of fault of DevRels). https://doc.searls.com/2008/08/10/remembering-gluetrain/

By @NickHodges0702 - 7 months
OMG -- this is the story of my life. I tried and, well, failed to be a DevRel guy, and I think this was a large part of it. Well, the parts that weren't actually my shortcomings I guess.

I definitely felt the bottom fall out of the DevRel job market. My last company eliminated the position (though maybe I wasn't any good, I don't know... )

By @xena - 7 months
I'm really concerned by this as someone who has recently broken into DevRel. I understand that there will always be jobs for someone like me, but all of the weird skills I have kinda add up into DevRel. It's kind of a dream job for me because I'm able to just create things for the joy of creation and use that to help explain why things are the way they are.
By @jonathanrmumm - 7 months
good developer relations is less shotgun marketing and more proactive technical customer-support
By @Gathering6678 - 7 months
I don't think that's specific to industry though. A prolonged period of ultra-low interest rate environment followed by a rapid rate climb hurts all industries with financing needs.
By @swyx - 7 months
oo thanks for submitting! author here ama
By @sgarland - 7 months
With respect to those laid off, because losing your job sucks, I never understood the point of DevRel. Why would I watch weird YouTube Shorts when I could read docs?