The term "rockstar" is used across many disciplines for a top performer. Don't get too hung up on the analogy: a rock star programmer isn't one who's into sex &

The term "rockstar" is used across many disciplines for a top performer. Don't get too hung up on the analogy: a rock star programmer isn't one who's into sex & drugs & loop unrolls. The main origins of this meme revolve around some studies done many years ago that show there's a productivity difference of 10x to 20x from mediocre programmers and the top performers. It's been noted that the salary range is much smaller, often in the 2x range. So why not hire top performers, paying them twice as much and getting ten times the productivity? There is and has been ongoing controversy about this on several fronts. The most substantial criticisms have to do with the validity of the studies. The rest of the criticisms seems to revolve around pushback from people because hiring rockstar programmers is difficult and care and feeding of such doesn't fit within the management structure of most companies.