12 ms·
I’m going to be contrary and cynical say that something funny is going on here. Going from desktop to mobile development, for example, isn’t a monumental task
by BoxFour 4y ago
I’m going to be contrary and cynical say that something funny is going on here.
Going from desktop to mobile development, for example, isn’t a monumental task necessarily but if you’re spinning up on an entirely new framework, language, and even way of thinking (old devices, low connectivity, etc) I’m extremely skeptical that you could learn it to any appreciable degree in a week of real time, let alone work time.
Sure, it’s possible there are factors making this transition easier, and yes some of those mobile concerns apply to desktop as well, but to me this reeks of a few possible situations, none of which are good:
1) Bob is doing things without really understanding what he’s doing, perhaps literally following a guide to the letter without a shred of critical thought about what he’s doing.
2) Bob is working far beyond what he’s billing
3) You’ve over-hired by a fair amount and your technology is so simple that people can solve your business needs even in disparate contexts extremely easily. If your Android app is just a web view connecting to your site, for example, sure i can see that being simple enough to fix in a week.
- rubidium 4y agoTo (3)'s point, the manager doesn't realize what's possible and the current devs are actually working 4 hours a week. Bob is exception, and _actually_ working 40 hours a week and getting 10x done.
- jeremyjh 4y agoThe question wasn't posted by the manager though, but by someone on the team.
- Coneylake 4y agoI don't think that was explicitly stated
- texaslonghorn5 4y agoThe poster was the tech lead, per one of their comments.
- Coneylake 4y agoA tech lead and a people manager can be the same person
- texaslonghorn5 4y agoIt was explicitly stated in the comments ... > He expressed that to me. I'm the tech/team lead, but not the manager. I told him our manager isn't going to fire him and that his productivity is stellar, but he kept himself skeptical. Being fair, I understand his fear of being fired - he was fired from a similar position because of how looks/dresses on his free time. Our company couldn't care less for those things, as even our CEO is fairly alternative herself, but those traumas never really go away.
- comfypotato 4y agoIt is stated by the assertion that the poster doesn’t think the manager is stemming tasks pre-fire. This implies they are different people.
- deltasevennine 4y agoThere are people in this world who are very smart. Those people can be much smarter then you. Often smarter people tend to congregate and less smart people do as well. So many people live in bubbles where they think they're the smartest person in the room; but the reality is there are plenty of rooms out there where they'd be the stupidest person. I don't know who you are but the fact that you can't comprehend the existence of someone who has superior productivity is an indicator that I think you haven't been humbled. You live in a bubble. Try switching rooms sometimes to see what's out there.
- AlwaysRock 4y agoRight. I know a few really incredible engineers. Maybe not this fast but its certainly possible for people like this to exist. It's funny that people think, "No one can be that good!".
- BoxFour 4y agoJust the opposite actually: I used to work in academia and I’ve met some incredibly intelligent people who were leaps and bounds more insightful than 99.9999999% of people I’ve ever met (including more so than myself, obviously). The common trait for all of them was a desire for deep understanding and diligence in acquiring that in all aspects of their lives, not productivity or even the appearance of it. An emphasis on, or even appearance of, productivity is something I find in dilettantes more frequently than anyone else (probably not shockingly). The Instagram CEO types, frequently.
- tom-thistime 4y agoAre you sure you've known several folks who each have a one-in-a-billion talent level?
- BoxFour 4y agoNo, but I can use contextual clues like other accolades to extrapolate from my own experience with that person here (like being a Nobel laureate, for example). To your point though, more like one in 100 million I suppose if I’m to be more accurate.
- Spooky23 4y agoI agree. To me, this sounds like the “smart guy” who if left unchecked will leave a trail of destruction. If the business model is a simple framework where incremental tasks are assigned, consistency and risk management is more important than happy developers. If Bob is a true rock star, he’ll move on, which makes sense. In the meantime, the business has redundancy and isn’t impacted.
- distantaidenn 4y ago4) Bob is outsourcing his work. Joking, but it is a possibility.
- BoxFour 4y agoYes, I thought about putting this down but thought it was a bit uncharitable. It is a thing that’s happened obviously though.
- throwawaymaths 4y agoSomeone savvy enough to outsource their work wouldn't be worried about losing their job for having an empty queue, they would spread it out over the week. Adding more tasks increases the likelihood of getting caught
- deleted 4y ago[deleted]
- rramadass 4y agoAgreed. That is also what stuck me when i read the OP; it is just too good to be true. I have only seen people this productive only in the niches that they worked-on/had-expertise-in and never any "Generalists". It is funny to me how people here are swallowing it all wholesale without any critical thought.