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Ask HN: [Serious] Have you met any actual 10x engineers?

by aero-glide2 on 4/27/24, 6:25 PM with 16 comments

• by labrador on 4/27/24, 6:36 PM

  I've met several. Anticipating what you might ask, what makes them 10x engineers? The ability to go off by themselves, get themselves into a type of trance because they are so focused and return a week or two later with thousands of lines of a fully formed formed program with near perfect working code. It's amazing to see.

• by db48x on 4/27/24, 6:54 PM

  A fair few, yes. Don't forget that the original definition (from Peopleware) means that these engineers are 10× better than the least capable engineers who are able to maintain their career, not 10× better than the average engineer. They were also comparing engineers across companies, so it's possible (though statistically unlikely) that you and every engineer at your company are 10× engineers.

• by codingdave on 4/27/24, 8:22 PM

  Sure, I've met them. I've been them. I've also met and been the opposite.

  Many people can be 10x when everything is aligned for their specific skill set, working environment, and personality. Being hyper-productive is less of a unique aspect of a person, and more about giving people the exact environment in which they can do their best work.

• by RGamma on 4/27/24, 7:54 PM

  [Serious]? Not reddit, but it might as well be.