Another way of putting: just because Lewis Hamilton would probably be arrested for driving through city streets the way he does on the raceway, does detract fro

Another way of putting: just because Lewis Hamilton would probably be arrested for driving through city streets the way he does on the raceway, does detract from the fact that he is still a better driver than Charlie Commuter. The fact that, in most situations, one doesn't need professional driving abilities is also not of consequence. I think people who are critical of the idea of a 10x engineer are missing the point. Of course hiring a 10x engineer is not sufficient to Solve The Customer's Problem. 10x engineers are not fairy dust. However, hiring a 10x is necessary if your customer genuinely needs a bespoke solution, or if you are trying to disrupt an existing tech market. I would also add that one of the main contributions of a 10x is that they raise the productivity of everyone else (creating tools, providing guidance, simplifying code, etc.). I am not a 10x, but I've worked on teams that have them and teams that do not, and it makes a big difference.