The reality of working in tech: We're not hired to write code (2023)

In the same way a nascar driver isn’t hired to drive, but hired to win races.

Feels sorta pedantic.

Fun read nonetheless.

I don't think it's pedantic at all. Your NASCAR driver is hired to win races, not to drive. If they drive on the highway, or down to the shops, or at the track when there isn't a race (or qualifying, or testing, etc.) on, or they drive a different team's car, or their own personal car, then they might be driving but they're not doing their job. Their job is to drive that particular team's car in such a way as to (directly or indirectly) win races.

In exactly the same way, a software developer isn't just hired to write code. We're hired to solve problems. We usually do that by writing code but that's not always the right approach. If your employer told you they wanted to be able to control a Windows computer from a different computer in the next room, I hope you wouldn't start writing code, you'd just show them Remote Desktop (or VNC etc.) If your employer wanted a web dashboard for your product, you might write a bit of code, but you'd try and find some existing dashboard project with an appropriate license, and hook your product's metrics up to that. Writing code is a tool, of course, and if there's no better way to do a thing (like if you're developing a new product) then writing code is going to be necessary, but a lot of times it's a tool of last resort.

if you hired a plumber, and asked him to fix the toilet, you expect him to fix the toilet.

You don't expect him to tell you your whole house's plumbing sucks, you have lead pipes and to properly fix the toilet you need to replace it all.

Just do the smallest, cheapest thing to fix the toilet.

Replace 'fix the toilet' with 'writing code', for programmers.