It feels to me like if there are "10x programmers", they'd get dragged down by process and environmental mediocrity. In other words, they'd be subject to Amdahl

It feels to me like if there are "10x programmers", they'd get dragged down by process and environmental mediocrity. In other words, they'd be subject to Amdahl's law: the programmer may be 10x, but the tech environment will still only be 1x. Assuming a 50/50 contribution, that caps the 10x programmer at 2x, where they will feel keenly how much they're underperforming their potential. Breaking free of that environment probably looks like being a jerk. E.g. using languages and patterns nobody else knows, ignoring work they have no comparative advantage in (documentation, massaging people and bug reports), not writing as many unit tests, skipping peer review, writing harder to follow code, etc. (By the way, would be very interested in places with a minimum of process)