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Ask HN: Engineers deserve better recognition. Can a protocol change that?

7 points by mzk_pi ↗ HN
Many engineers contribute significantly to open source, infrastructure, civic tech, and social impact—but rarely get recognition beyond GitHub stars or token mentions.

What if we had a protocol that could quantify and validate such contributions—not in money, but in trust, transparency, and long-term social value?

Could such a structure change how engineers are valued, or is reputation still bound to institutions and capital?

Curious to hear your thoughts. Has anyone tried designing or experimenting with such systems?

7 comments

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muzani
I'm skeptical - it will be gamed, and suddenly everyone is doing this thing because it's part of the game. I used to rank top 5% in Stack Overflow, and it was a resume item. And now it's overrun by gatekeepers who only ensure that only the elites may ask questions.
giantg2
I don't really want prestige or widespread recognition. Small scale recognition and the respect of my peers seems adequate - just enough that if I'm looking for a job that someone in my network can hook me up with a reasonably decent one (~$120k).
sfmz
Usually on socials people link to their other socials (github, stackoverflow, twitter, personal blog) in their bios. A system could parse all of those and give some kind of summary. HR may already have such tools, but it'd be better if it was open and transparent.
mzk_pi
This is truly a great idea! And it seems very feasible ＞▽＜ If this system existed, HR departments would definitely take advantage of it! It could increase the chances of discovering hidden talents who may not be good at sales. Your idea is a rare combination of profitability and contribution, making it a valuable asset in today’s evaluation system.
a_tartaruga
I have no idea the current status but five years ago I knew an acquaintance who was building this: https://sourcecred.io which I think is pretty close to what you're talking about.
mzk_pi
Thank you! This is very similar to the protocol we are building. Your website taught me a lot — I really appreciate it.

By the way, is SourceCred still active? It looks like the Twitter and GitHub repos have been quiet for a while. Is your acquaintance still working on it?

_kb
Government employee here. The best engineers, technologists (and people in general) I’ve had the opportunity to work with don’t give a shit about this sort of thin validation.

No-one worth their salt in public service is there for the accolades, or money. They do it because they give a shit about the community / country / culture / cause they’re part of.

There are exceptions for sure - big project are a proven way to jump your career back to private - but the people I most respect are thinking long term and working relentlessly towards that.

In that domain technology isn’t the endgame, it’s impacts and effects are. If you want to support that, help them build tools, grow communities and attract others with a similar drive. Or if they are moving back to private because they need the money that provides, actually interview them, even if what they can put on a CV is thin on detail.

Tech doesn’t need to revolve around capital, whether that’s social or financial.