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Alan Cooper on the “10x” Programmer

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Re: Alan Cooper on the “10x” Programmer

#31
Here are some indicators I've seen from 10x and 100x:

The 10x person fits very well in their organization. They are admired by upper-management for their ability to quickly comprehend, estimate, and deliver solutions to problems. They mentor everyone that asks or needs help. They provide 95% test coverage on all code. They show up for work well dressed, clean-cut, and on-time every day. Their code isn't 'brilliant' because they understand it must be maintained by the whole team. Their code reads well across difference experience levels but also includes clever tricks. They have an absolutely rock-solid understanding of the operating environment, platform, and modules. They don't document their code. They are the smartest person you know.

The 100x person seems to fit very well into the organization at first, and appears to be a 10x. They take on several seemingly-impossible tasks up front and eat it for breakfast. They automate large portions of the business and their own processes. They provide 99% test coverage on all code. They create production-quality docs after their public interface solidifies. They know security and implement it correctly. They spend months to years on self-driven projects to master different categories and build their tech-tree. They have invented tech and patented it. They bump into the intentional barriers of the organization. They break through and create a billion-dollar product, or they are removed from the organization. They are the smartest person you know and without explanation they appear to be insane.

It really seems 10x is a stigmatized term. It used to mean a developer that could produce 10x lines of code, but at this point I've taken it to mean a single developer that can leverage technology, their department, and organization to manifest a 10x positive impact compared to someone just cashing their check delivering story points. I don't think this term really fits for someone on the spectrum wreaking havoc in their organization.

Re: Alan Cooper on the “10x” Programmer

#32
Being a 10x programmer or whatever isn't all it's cracked up to be. It's not like they let you work 1/10x, or even 1/2x. You're expected to deliver that 10x 50 weeks a year, it's impossible to not get burned out. The "velocity tracking" craze is killer. A very strong developer and regular in #python on IRC was working as a janitor for a while. I didn't get it then, now I totally get it. It's hard to muster the motivation to continue working in software.

Re: Alan Cooper on the “10x” Programmer

#33

>The 10x programmer is essentially a libertarian concept: That is, they do it all by themselves because they don’t recognize how much is done for them by others. I'm finding myself meeting a lot of "10x" descriptors. I'm not doing 10x the work but I'm definitely doing the work of the next two highest performing colleagues put together. I also see myself putting burdens on my team. My communication, teamwork, and mana…

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Re: Alan Cooper on the “10x” Programmer

#34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm definitely a 10x programmer, but unfortunately 90% of my time is spent on hackernews, so nothing is gained.

That means you're not a 10x programmer.

Sure i am, i just keep the 9x for myself :-P

Re: Alan Cooper on the “10x” Programmer

#36
I remember once being asked during a phone-screen how many lines of code I had written. Ever. Some of those things were on classified systems years ago, there is no way I'm going to remember that or even be able to look that up any more. Why would I ever log "wrote a net-worth of xyz lines of code today" for a personal record? I've never worked for anybody who had that as a metric but apparently I had a chance to now; I gave them an estimate and moved on.

The kicker was that the question had absolutely nothing to do with the job. Nothing.

Re: Alan Cooper on the “10x” Programmer

#37
post #19

After working with ~ 30 odd programmers, I would probably classify myself as a 10x. I think a good chunk of HN'ers are 10x, with imposter syndrome of course. 1. Patience - I have the patience to sit through and fix a bug. Googling it, reading the source ... this is fun for me. 1x programmers give up very often and very soon. They either blame others, feel pity for themselves for not figuring it out or hate the comput…

* avoiding object-oriented programming

* avoiding testing

* avoiding security

* avoiding documentation

* fixating on known platforms

* a highly inflated ego

* demeaning other programmers

* arguing with experienced programmers during code review

* using the word 'maths' (the plural form of math is mathematics)

None of this classifies you as a 10x programmer and your comment has 'arrogant' written all over it. You have expert syndrome.

Re: Alan Cooper on the “10x” Programmer

#38
As an experienced programmer - if you really want to improve productivity 10 times, find the junior programmers in your team, empower them, give your advice when asked, shut up when not being asked, tell them they can do that hard task and help them out when they have problems. Be a decent human being. Then watch with pride as they grow in amazingly quick time. Oh - and just work for a company, that honors when you're doing that.

Nowadays programming is teamwork.

Re: Alan Cooper on the “10x” Programmer

#39
post #38

As an experienced programmer - if you really want to improve productivity 10 times, find the junior programmers in your team, empower them, give your advice when asked, shut up when not being asked, tell them they can do that hard task and help them out when they have problems. Be a decent human being. Then watch with pride as they grow in amazingly quick time. Oh - and just work for a company, that honors when you'r…

I'd argue that programming, like any other human endeavor, has always been teamwork.

Re: Alan Cooper on the “10x” Programmer

#40
post #19

After working with ~ 30 odd programmers, I would probably classify myself as a 10x. I think a good chunk of HN'ers are 10x, with imposter syndrome of course. 1. Patience - I have the patience to sit through and fix a bug. Googling it, reading the source ... this is fun for me. 1x programmers give up very often and very soon. They either blame others, feel pity for themselves for not figuring it out or hate the comput…

* avoiding object-oriented programming * avoiding testing * avoiding security * avoiding documentation * fixating on known platforms * a highly inflated ego * demeaning other programmers * arguing with experienced programmers during code review * using the word 'maths' (the plural form of math is mathematics) None of this classifies you as a 10x programmer and your comment has 'arrogant' written all over it. You have…

Maths is the proper term in British English.
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