3 ms·

[ ] What separates the 10x devs from the 1x? (what _is_ it? Environment, skill, ...) [X] 10x productivity myths (why you shouldn't believe it) [ ] 10x p

[ ] What separates the 10x devs from the 1x? (what _is_ it? Environment, skill, ...) [X] 10x productivity myths (why you shouldn't believe it) [ ] 10x productivity truths (but, but, it IS true, see?) [ ] Be the 10x developer (aspiring to be one) [ ] Startup perspective (should startups try to acquire 10x devs?) [ ] Why the 10x notion pisses me off (why it shouldn't matter) [ ] If 10x productivity why not 10x salary? (or similar) [ ] Some meta discussion on the metrics of "productivity" (solve for x) [ ] Technologies/Languages/Tools/Methodologies that facilitate/impede 10x? [X] 10x in other professions? I feel there is a cycle to this 10x talk on HN. Roughly twice a year, some post will trigger this event, at which and a series of posts are made and new articles written, as if oblivious the the last cycle.

TheAnimus 14y ago
Whilst the simplification of the problem into a headline of 10x might be irksome to you, I think it is a symptom of a real problem. Do people accurately value devs. I've never seen any evidence of it. The free market doesn't really judge things on a long term quality, this problem isn't unique to software. To generalise it as "superstar devs are the most awesome" and "bad devs are useless" isn't going to help matters either. After all, we've all surely had a single line of code, which had been XP written, fully TDD with a good peer review, conducted entirely by superstars, then found it to contain a massive bug. Micro or Macro level mistakes create problems, often the mistakes are very hard to understand. Even the very best will make 'mistakes', sometimes they might be unlucky and that mistake will become very costly. If you want to talk about 10x devs, talk about understanding the value of what they do at every level. Otherwise you will have no idea what you have working for you.
- crusso 14y ago
  Do people accurately value devs. Yes. I keep good developers in my contact list and look to hire them or refer others to them when I have an opportunity or they need a job. If you're not seeing evidence of it, you're either not moving in hiring circles or you're not moving in developer circles that are distinguishing themselves through the quality of their work. The free market doesn't really judge things on a long term quality Of course it does. It judges long term quality exactly as much as it feels it needs to. Even the very best will make 'mistakes' Isn't that a given? Good hiring managers or purveyors of talent will take a long statistical view on the abilities of developers (or anyone else working for/with them).

TheAnimus 14y ago

Whilst the simplification of the problem into a headline of 10x might be irksome to you, I think it is a symptom of a real problem. Do people accurately value devs. I've never seen any evidence of it. The free market doesn't really judge things on a long term quality, this problem isn't unique to software. To generalise it as "superstar devs are the most awesome" and "bad devs are useless" isn't going to help matters either. After all, we've all surely had a single line of code, which had been XP written, fully TDD with a good peer review, conducted entirely by superstars, then found it to contain a massive bug. Micro or Macro level mistakes create problems, often the mistakes are very hard to understand. Even the very best will make 'mistakes', sometimes they might be unlucky and that mistake will become very costly. If you want to talk about 10x devs, talk about understanding the value of what they do at every level. Otherwise you will have no idea what you have working for you.

crusso 14y ago
Do people accurately value devs. Yes. I keep good developers in my contact list and look to hire them or refer others to them when I have an opportunity or they need a job. If you're not seeing evidence of it, you're either not moving in hiring circles or you're not moving in developer circles that are distinguishing themselves through the quality of their work. The free market doesn't really judge things on a long term quality Of course it does. It judges long term quality exactly as much as it feels it needs to. Even the very best will make 'mistakes' Isn't that a given? Good hiring managers or purveyors of talent will take a long statistical view on the abilities of developers (or anyone else working for/with them).