Ten years into building the Zig programming language, Andrew Kelley isn't celebrating with technical deep dives or feature announcements. Instead, he's engaged in soul-searching. In a revealing blog post, the Zig creator confronts the emotional undercurrents of open-source stewardship—particularly the clashes with users that have punctuated the project's journey. This isn't a reaction to scandal, Kelley clarifies, but a proactive reflection on why passionate developers sometimes collide.

Kelley acknowledges his unwavering centrality in Zig's evolution: "I never stepped down from the 'creator' role," he writes, detailing his hands-on involvement from triaging issues to mentoring newcomers. Yet, this proximity magnified tensions. Negative interactions, he admits, have weighed heavily on him—not because of technical disagreements, but because they contradict his deep-seated affinity for human connection. "I love people," Kelley emphasizes, recounting how he cherishes diverse perspectives, from strangers on the street to those who "cut me off in traffic and flips me off."

"When we care about something, but we perceive futility in our efforts to change it, our only resort is to lash out."

This friction, Kelley theorizes, stems from a fundamental imbalance in agency. Programming tools like Zig dictate daily workflows—compile times compound across careers, yet most developers lack the autonomy to switch or fork technologies imposed by employers. "99.999% of programmers," he notes, face a "nasty problem": they endure the consequences of tooling decisions without realistic avenues for change. The result? Justified frustration that boils over in forums or issue trackers. Kelley confesses hypocrisy here, admitting he vents similarly about projects he depends on but can't reshape, like mainstream operating systems.

Addressing those he's clashed with directly, Kelley offers a candid apology: "I've done issue triaging while grumpy. For that, I'm sorry." He validates their anger—"you are justified in feeling angry about not getting it"—while clarifying that conflicts aren't personal. His vision for Zig's future hinges on elevating empathy without compromising the project's integrity: "cranking up the empathy dial... while still cultivating this budding technology." As Zig enters its second decade, Kelley commits to fostering a community that balances fierce technical advocacy with human warmth, aiming for "digital prosperity" under an "inclusive, welcoming tent."

Kelley's introspection underscores a critical, often overlooked truth in tech: tooling decisions aren't just technical—they're human. For developers navigating dependencies and open-source dynamics, this letter reframes conflict as a symptom of disempowerment, challenging leaders to build not just better code, but kinder ecosystems.

Source: Andrew Kelley's Open Letter