The Myth of the Myth of the 10x Programmer
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Re: The Myth of the Myth of the 10x Programmer
#2One thing I have observed recently is the existence of "10X projects".
This might be a symptom of working at a big company, but I have been really impressed by the ability of some projects to achieve their ends while others get stuck in quagmires due to the fault of nobody on the project per se, but rather the definition of the project itself.
Re: The Myth of the Myth of the 10x Programmer
#310X programmers DO exist. They aren't just a myth, and they aren't just about knowing when to buy vs build, or when to use a particular framework or toolkit, or how to "mentor" other developers.
Chris Sawyer wrote 99% of the code for RollerCoaster Tycoon in x86 assembly language, with the remaining one percent written in C.
RollerCoaster Tycoon was a beautiful game which still stands the test of time to this day. The fact that a single person was able to build a blockbuster-level game almost entirely by themselves in assembly is a truly impressive feat which very few programmers would even dream of undertaking.
Being a "real" 10X programmer is like being a savant. It's about being FUCKING SMART, and it's about being able to deliver a working, polished product in the same time that a normal team of ten people would be able to deliver it (or in a tenth of the time that a single person might).
Re: The Myth of the Myth of the 10x Programmer
#4[deleted]
Re: The Myth of the Myth of the 10x Programmer
#5> highly productive developers (10x or otherwise) are problem-solving at a much higher level
This is a very important point, but calling these highly productive developers "10x" doesn't really make sense. They are more like "infinity times" compared to the average when it comes to getting a difficult task done, since the average developer would just get stuck and never be able to invent good designs and solve the difficult problems. Even worse, some programmers are in the negative on many tasks, adding additional complexity and overhead while making little to no positive contributions, especially when you give them a problem beyond their capabilities.
Re: The Myth of the Myth of the 10x Programmer
#610X programmers DO exist. They aren't just a myth, and they aren't just about knowing when to buy vs build, or when to use a particular framework or toolkit, or how to "mentor" other developers. Chris Sawyer wrote 99% of the code for RollerCoaster Tycoon in x86 assembly language, with the remaining one percent written in C. RollerCoaster Tycoon was a beautiful game which still stands the test of time to this day. The…
I agree they exist. The article does too, at the end:
...highly productive developers (10x or otherwise) are problem-solving at a much higher level. Their productivity won’t be apparent from a narrow test, any more than the overall skill of a world-class football player would be apparent from (say) how fast they could run the 100m dash.
The most productive developers are solving big problems, and are bringing judgment and experience to bear on essential design, architecture, and “build vs use existing library” decisions. They’re designing key abstractions that will pay dividends through the life of the project...
Re: The Myth of the Myth of the 10x Programmer
#7I think we instinctively recognize the outsized levels of certain pros: a 10x leader that is a different creature from a typical manager, or a captivating writer that is 10x better than the average novelist, or a 10x actor vs a standard-issue LA newcomer, or a 10x teacher who inspires far beyond what curriculum mandates. Can we accept 10x lawyers, coaches, artists, or musicians based on their impact? We do, and we seek and celebrate them. Why fashion designers but not app designers, why essay writers but not program writers?
Re: The Myth of the Myth of the 10x Programmer
#8> highly productive developers (10x or otherwise) are problem-solving at a much higher level This is a very important point, but calling these highly productive developers "10x" doesn't really make sense. They are more like "infinity times" compared to the average when it comes to getting a difficult task done, since the average developer would just get stuck and never be able to invent good designs and solve the dif…
Joel Spolsky's "Hitting the high notes" always comes to mind for me when this debate arises.
Re: The Myth of the Myth of the 10x Programmer
#9What have the company done in the past 15 years to build a progressive learning culture?
Re: The Myth of the Myth of the 10x Programmer
#10The concept of the 10x programmer seems to have been drifted from its original meaning. It isn't that there's a coder that is 10x better than a good coder. It is that a lot of people are really bad at their jobs, and a coder that thinks and learns about problems can be far better than those people. It comes from terrible "corporate drone" software developers in the 80s and 90s - the ones that would takes weeks to developer simple routines. Bring in someone that loves software dev, and they appear magical.
Today, with Google and Stack Overflow, that gap has diminished, but there is definitely people still way better than "average" developers. However, if you have someone that keeps their skills sharp and their problem solving desire sharper, you won't fine anyone 10x - maybe 2 or 3x, at best.