[jackconnor]

Having worked on many, many software projects myself, this is 100% accurate. One good programmer who is intensely focused and interested in a project is worth 20 - 50 (or more) programmers who are just code monkeying it without really giving a shit. This is why a small, passionate startup team can consistently build better products than large corporations. Much better products.

[Data_Junkie]

There is no substitute for caring, and people consistently, dramatically underestimate the difference in thought that happens in people who care and people who don't. Anytime I'm asked why someone should listen to me and not someone else I tell them "because I care". It is really all it takes to separate from the incompetent, so few understand what caring does.

[jackconnor]

Absolutely. I'm sure there are many reasons for this, but a big one i always see is attention to detail. People who really care are obsessed with getting all the details right, and hate bugginess, bad ux, and other issues typical of crappy software. Big projects with no real owner may have lots of programmers, but none of them care so much that they want to get in the really deep weeds to make the thing a truly amazing software experience.

[Data_Junkie]

And that is because there is always more to care about, just as true love has no end.

[HeWhoLurksLate]

As someone who has generated 99% of the code- not counting StackOverflow- for a project, it honestly is a double-edged sword- I can't rely on anyone else to fix anything, but when I break things the impact is rather minimal.

[rileymat2]

> "This is why a small, passionate startup team can consistently build better products than large corporations."

I am curious if there is a way to test this scientifically, large teams make some very good products.

[jackconnor]

What if you have three groups: One with a small software startup team that, by some criteria, is judged super passionate about the product. Another from a corporation where at least one lead programmer is super passionate about the product (usually the "owner" in agile talk), and another corporate project with a shit ton of programmers, but no clear passionate programmer in love with the project.