Stripe docs as a first-class product — Markdoc framework, documentation in performance reviews

Claim: Stripe treats documentation as a first-class product. Engineers' documentation contributions are counted in performance reviews. The open-source Markdoc framework backs interactive features. Former Head of Docs Dave Nunez instituted writing classes for ESL engineers and a "doc star of the week" program.

Quote (Patrick McKenzie, on Stripe): "Stripe is a celebration of the written word which happens to be incorporated in the state of Delaware."

Sources: Mintlify blog — https://mintlify.com/blog/stripe-docs; apidog.com analysis.

Confidence: Industry-consensus (multiple secondary sources, named-individual primary statements).

Why Candid cares: Stripe is the strongest commercial proof that "docs as a product" is a competitive moat. The pattern: structured + searchable + versioned + cross-linked + treated with the same engineering rigor as the codebase. Use Stripe as the lead example in brief 3 — not personal digital gardens.