[G4BB3R]

Because that is a myth. If that existed, you could build an entire startup with a single developer.

[practicalpants]

You kind of can, up to like seed level anyways.

I think the real 50x engineer is a person who is a strong engineer, also does design, innovates, and can build a business like a CEO. That person could actually bring 50x value to a small org.

[smt88]

Reddit famously had a team of four for a surprising number of years.

I myself am the sole developer for a B2B software company with $5M ARR.

I'm not 50x (or even 10x) and don't think those designations are based in reality, but your second sentence doesn't follow from the first.

[knowtheworld]

It might be hard to build an unicorn with a single super developer. But he/she might build a great product to get the company enough funding to grow to an unicorn.

[rossriley]

WhatsApp for instance sold for $19 Billion and when it was acquired had an engineering team of just 35.

[jldugger]

And I think Instagram had like 12.

[djmips]

Says more about the complexity (or lack thereof) of the product than the capabilities of those 12.

[jldugger]

I mean, it was a mobile first app, with a substantial server component and infinite scroll, at a time where very few people were iOS experts.

[philipswood]

Sometimes that does happen, though...