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substance over signaling

jackmcclelland.com · 1,251 words · saved by 1 readers

as the tech industry has become more “mature” (less risky, more popular, and more high-status), tech culture has evolved too. it seems like there is a growing tendency for people to signal how hard they are hustling / how much they care / how smart they are, rather than focusing on the substance of what they are building. admittedly, a huge portion this happens on twitter (bragging about 996 / coding at the bar / etc), where it selves people to be self-promotional and controversial. of course, real progress comes from substance over signaling. i want to explore the signaling side first, then highlight the positive side of this equation - people that quietly focus on real work and authenticity. i have always been wary about people that talk excessively about how hard they work, largely because i did not see any benefit to doing this (other than perhaps surrounding yourself with people that also like to talk about how hard they work). if you are talking about it in a negative way (”it su

november 5, 2025 a short appreciation post for people that make things authentically as the tech industry has become more “mature” (less risky, more popular, and more high-status), tech culture has evolved too. it seems like there is a growing tendency for people to signal how hard they are hustling / how much they care / how smart they are, rather than focusing on the substance of what they are building. admittedly, a huge portion this happens on twitter (bragging about 996 / coding at the bar / etc), where it selves people to be self-promotional and controversial. of course, real progress co

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