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Yup, my boss at old co had some similarities to Greg. He worked long hours, was pretty much aware of everything happening at the company both in the US and off-

Yup, my boss at old co had some similarities to Greg. He worked long hours, was pretty much aware of everything happening at the company both in the US and off-shore, could talk technical details with the tech peeps, and business stuff with the non-tech folks. He was always on top of things and unblocking people all over the org. He also has the great ability to remember things very well, even after a few months have passed by. Even though he was CTO and incredibly busy, he would find time to spend with individual engineers. Once he spent an hour pair-programming with me on a difficult issue. Even though his time was obviously not spent coding (and hadn't for years), it was a very productive session. The founder acknowledge he really couldn't have done it without him, or someone like him on the team. I 100% agree they couldn't have built the org without him. He is just on a different level and it was awesome seeing him in action.

begueradj 3y ago
That's an impressive will power. P.S. "and hadn't for years" => He could not have helped you to solve that issue if that is the case. No way he could. He obviously codes every single day (not for long hours)
- ctxc 3y ago
  I don't think so. You forget specifics (names, workflow) but the problem solving approach and a few anecdotes always come back. Imo at least.
- borski 3y ago
  That isn't true; sometimes just talking through the problem and checking assumptions, or just having another brain to work through the problem is what's needed. I guarantee you the issue wasn't one of the OP not knowing the language or framework well enough.
  - begueradj 3y ago
    He said: "Once he spent an hour pair-programming with me on a difficult issue." I quoted what is "pair programming" for you (and the 2 others): "One, the driver, writes code while the other, the observer or navigator reviews each line of code as it is typed in. The two programmers switch roles frequently."
    - borski 3y ago
      Fine. Even so, Greg is brilliant and if anyone can still do both, it’s him.
- robjan 3y ago
  I don't think so. I don't code anymore because I am responsible for around 100 FTE but can still pair programme effectively. Coding is just the tip of the engineering iceberg.

begueradj 3y ago

That's an impressive will power. P.S. "and hadn't for years" => He could not have helped you to solve that issue if that is the case. No way he could. He obviously codes every single day (not for long hours)

ctxc 3y ago
I don't think so. You forget specifics (names, workflow) but the problem solving approach and a few anecdotes always come back. Imo at least.
borski 3y ago
That isn't true; sometimes just talking through the problem and checking assumptions, or just having another brain to work through the problem is what's needed. I guarantee you the issue wasn't one of the OP not knowing the language or framework well enough.
- begueradj 3y ago
  He said: "Once he spent an hour pair-programming with me on a difficult issue." I quoted what is "pair programming" for you (and the 2 others): "One, the driver, writes code while the other, the observer or navigator reviews each line of code as it is typed in. The two programmers switch roles frequently."
  - borski 3y ago
    Fine. Even so, Greg is brilliant and if anyone can still do both, it’s him.
robjan 3y ago
I don't think so. I don't code anymore because I am responsible for around 100 FTE but can still pair programme effectively. Coding is just the tip of the engineering iceberg.