I think the article improperly conflates Rick and a 10x developer. I have an essay I wrote a while ago lying around that talks about the Intermediate Programme

I think the article improperly conflates Rick and a 10x developer. I have an essay I wrote a while ago lying around that talks about the Intermediate Programmer - Rick sounds like a perfect example. The IP is the one that has the gumption to try out various inventions and experiments, usually focusing on the trying to solve a problem with a perfect Beautiful Machine, but that doesn't yet have the perspective to know how code needs will change in the future, and how to design code to make it easy to change. I've had people on my teams that can code circles around me in various ways, and whose gorgeous intricate multi-level generics-heavy code was also regularly deleted a few weeks/months later in favor of something literal, boilerplate, small, and easy to understand and change. (Don't get me wrong, multi-level generics-heavy code is GOOD in some cases, but you have to know when.) The good IPs learn from these lessons without letting their ego get in the way, and eventually become advanced programmers. The bad ones claim they are advanced and cause problems. Sounds like Rick was a 0.5x developer or less.