So by the 10x logic, that would mean that 10x programmer will:
- Finishes 100 sprints, in the same time that your average programmer finishes 10; Given that they are in the same size and duration. This one seems pretty debunkable if you ask me; Never in my life have I seen that kind of proficiency
- Bring 10x more value to the table, compared to the average developer. Sure, maybe - a 10x programmer could probably detect and fix bugs, or improve systems, which will be of 10x more value than the rest. You see this in sales, where rainmakers will literally bring in orders of magnitude more revenue.
But tbh, I don't think it's really possible for some single developer to be 10x, other than through short periods of time. To be consistently 10x over the course of many years, seems extremely unlikely.
However, I DO think it's possible to bring in 10x results if you're in charge of the more strategic aspects - but that seems to go more towards leadership, than anything else. But then again, is it possible to be 10x on a consistent basis, throughout your whole career?
One of the points of the article is that the environment is a huge factor to productivity. In the environment you talk about (startup program), you have zero code review, full comprehension across the entire system (because you've written everything) and zero debates about the proper way to proceed.
It's the environment that every programmer yearns for, and the environment that every programmer is 10x their normal proficiency (certainly I am).
This is how most programmers can make massive contributions to a 2h/day side project in the evenings compared to their normal 9-5 output at work.
The insidious problem is that people not in the trenches look at the output of programmers in these isolated environments and deduce that this output is constant for all environments.
If you want to reduce output, add more programmers to help.
- Finishes 100 sprints, in the same time that your average programmer finishes 10; Given that they are in the same size and duration. This one seems pretty debunkable if you ask me; Never in my life have I seen that kind of proficiency
- Bring 10x more value to the table, compared to the average developer. Sure, maybe - a 10x programmer could probably detect and fix bugs, or improve systems, which will be of 10x more value than the rest. You see this in sales, where rainmakers will literally bring in orders of magnitude more revenue.
But tbh, I don't think it's really possible for some single developer to be 10x, other than through short periods of time. To be consistently 10x over the course of many years, seems extremely unlikely.
However, I DO think it's possible to bring in 10x results if you're in charge of the more strategic aspects - but that seems to go more towards leadership, than anything else. But then again, is it possible to be 10x on a consistent basis, throughout your whole career?