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> When we say 10x programmer, are we comparing to the worst or median skilled programmer? The worst.

• TomMarius 8y ago
  I always saw 10x average, not worst. See: http://antirez.com/news/112 http://antirez.com/news/112 (first result on google after writing "10x developer")
  • rhapsodic 8y ago
    >I always saw 10x average, not worst. See: http://antirez.com/news/112 http://antirez.com/news/112 (first result on google after writing "10x developer") It's a pity that's the first result, because it's flat wrong. This article actually talks about the origin of the claim: https://www.ybrikman.com/writing/2013/09/29/the-10x-developer-is-not-myth/ https://www.ybrikman.com/writing/2013/09/29/the-10x-develope... I believe in 10x programmers, because I have known many programmers over the years, and I can think of many pairs where one was clearly 10x as productive as the other. And I think the reason there are 10x programmers is that our profession tolerates a lot of embarrassingly incompetent people. If someone were 10x as productive as an average developer, that would be truly extraordinary. But I don't see 10x programmers as all that extraordinary, because there are so many people who get paid to program but suck at it so bad, that being 10x as productive as they are is not all that impressive.
    • TomMarius 8y ago
      While I agree, suddenly, there is a lot more 10x developers around me, and that doesn't feel right. I'll stick with my definition for my purposes, and thank you for telling me!
• lgas 8y ago
  That doesn't make any sense since the worst programmers are negatively productive -- they cause more problems for the rest of the team than anything they produce could ever outweigh.