Interview with Hadi Hariri
Interview with Hadi Hariri
The Interviewer
Mike Hall
Interviewer, community organizer at UGtastic
The Guest
Hadi Hariri
Developer Evangelist at JetBrains, Speaker and Author
The Conversation
Mike Hall
Interviewer, community organizer at UGtastic
Hi, it's Mike Hall again here with UGtastic. Today I'm coming from the GOTO Chicago conference. I'm sitting down with Hadi Hariri, who is a developer evangelist with JetBrains. One of the talks he's giving today is 'Being an antisocial geek is harmful,' which is very thematic for what UGtastic is trying to do—supporting people who get out from behind their desks and participate in the community. What is an 'antisocial geek' and why is it harmful?
Hadi Hariri
Developer Evangelist at JetBrains, Speaker and Author
It's not that we're antisocial in the aggressive sense. We're just not as into socializing as other people might be. The talk is really about communication and interaction. Over my 20+ years in the industry, I've seen how a lack of communication causes major friction between developers and teams. We've accepted this myth that 'Steve is great at developing, but you can't talk to him.' We ignore the isolation this causes, and it impacts the team, the code, the goals, and everyone's happiness.
Mike Hall
Interviewer, community organizer at UGtastic
It's like we have this preconceived notion of how we're supposed to act—sitting in a dark room not talking, but then everyone chats away at lunch. It seems like people actually do want to share, but there's a stigma.
Hadi Hariri
Developer Evangelist at JetBrains, Speaker and Author
Exactly. Developers aren't necessarily introverts; we just don't like small talk. We love to debate and be right, but we often miss the big picture. I think every developer should work in technical support at some point. You learn how to deal with customers, when to back off, and when to concede. It's not worth the friction of constant debate if it hurts the product.
Mike Hall
Interviewer, community organizer at UGtastic
I've seen this in non-developer roles like HR. The mode of conversation is much less rigid than in development. I struggle with that transition myself.
Hadi Hariri
Developer Evangelist at JetBrains, Speaker and Author
It's because we try to apply coding principles like DRY (Don't Repeat Yourself) to our conversations. We aim for 'ultimate efficiency' in speech, but sometimes you need to talk about the weather to break the ice and understand the other person. There's an empathy deficit in the developer world. We see high-profile people blasting others on Twitter for open source contributions without thinking about the human on the other side.
Mike Hall
Interviewer, community organizer at UGtastic
It's like an underused empathy muscle. Even in onboarding, experienced developers forget what it was like to be new. They can't put themselves back in that role of not knowing.
Hadi Hariri
Developer Evangelist at JetBrains, Speaker and Author
Right. As an evangelist, I see people at conference booths who are shy to even say hello. Technical support is a great cure for this. You deal with the guy who says, 'I can't send email,' and you ask if he's on the internet, and he says, 'I don't want the internet, I just want email!' It gives you patience. You can't just tell them they're stupid.
Mike Hall
Interviewer, community organizer at UGtastic
That reminds me of the military. I met a recruit who was 'just a truck driver' and felt she wasn't as good as the medics or MPs. She forgot that without the trucker, the infantry can't have supplies. In tech, we forget we're part of an ecosystem. We have fancy 'Senior Engineer' titles, but we couldn't exist without the people who build the chips or call in for support.
Hadi Hariri
Developer Evangelist at JetBrains, Speaker and Author
We need more humility. We need to think about the global picture rather than just personal hotshot goals. Are we the Lindsay Lohan or the Meryl Streep of tech? Are we here for a quick VC payout, or to steadily grow a business that changes the world? The industry leans toward the 'ninja' and 'rockstar' hotshot culture too much.
Mike Hall
Interviewer, community organizer at UGtastic
And that's why I want to support user group and conference organizers—the people who bring us together. It's more fun to do it together than alone.
Hadi Hariri
Developer Evangelist at JetBrains, Speaker and Author
Everyone plays a role. Everyone is important.
Mike Hall
Interviewer, community organizer at UGtastic
Well, thank you very much for your time, Hadi.
Hadi Hariri
Developer Evangelist at JetBrains, Speaker and Author
It was a pleasure. Thank you.
Critical Insights
durable
"The 'Antisocial Geek' is often a self-fulfilling prophecy; by accepting that talented developers 'can't be talked to,' teams allow isolation to degrade both product quality and developer happiness."
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"Applying engineering principles like DRY (Don't Repeat Yourself) to human conversation is a category error; social 'inefficiency' (like small talk) is a critical tool for breaking ice and building empathy."
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"Technical support is a foundational training ground for software developers; it builds the 'empathy muscle' and patience required to understand user needs and navigate team friction."
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"The tech industry's 'Hotshot' culture (Ninja, Rockstar) prioritizes personal ego over ecosystem awareness, leading to a lack of humility and a disregard for the 'unseen' labor (like infrastructure or support) that makes high-level engineering possible."
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"Empathy in a technical context isn't just about feeling; it's about the cognitive ability to remember the state of 'not knowing'—a skill critical for effective onboarding and mentorship."