Hey Rachel,

It's fine to disagree. I still don't think User Stories format fit with tech tasks. User Stories should be related to the users, and developers are not users; they are part of the team.

Don't get me wrong, I am not saying all tech tasks have to be prioritized. I share your concerns that many times devs want to refactor for the sake of refactor. As a Product Person, during the refinement, I always challenge tech requests, mainly I strive to understand why it is important and what happens if we don't do it. Generally, we come to an agreement easily, and more than half of the requests are removed from the backlog.

Every team can have the approach that fits best. The bottom line is to foster collaboration over processes.