[kyranjamie]

Some well thought out points in this post. I'm of the opinion, though, that the concept of a "10x engineer" just isn't a something to be advocating.

In all walks of life, there are the weak, the strong, and all colours in the middle. Why do the strongest need to be labeled with an exact number? It implies there's a sort of fixed scale, that someone could be an 7x or 8x engineer. It's a form of gate keeping in the same way that being "senior" engineer was/is a coveted title to be earnt.

The best people should be celebrated and rewarded accordingly, but we should move away from absolutist titles that push people to strive for a completely subjective label.