I think you're underrating the significance of the rate at which one is able to learn and acquire knowledge. I'd argue that this is actually more important than

I think you're underrating the significance of the rate at which one is able to learn and acquire knowledge. I'd argue that this is actually more important than experience within a large organization with plenty of mentorship. This guy was able to accomplish a ton in a year, acquiring the technical chops to get offers at top companies like Google. If he can do that in one year, imagine where he'll be in another year.