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.
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.