[jrydberg]

I think that he just describes the hybrid between a developer and a product designer. A mix that isn't always good: you shouldn't implement what you design. But for startups it's often the case.

Regarding @geebee "putting developers into a box where they are simply executing specs" I think that the "developer driven culture" has gotten us to the point where we have forgotten that there need to be _a single_ person in charge of designing the product. Otherwise it will be impossible to keep the product integrity. Read The Mythical Man-Month.

Also, the "spec" isn't some kind of pseudo-code. It can be the user manual, a design document or a prototype. Actually, it MUST NOT include any implementation details, since that is up to the developer to decide. It's his domain, he knows that better than anyone else. If the developer feel that he misses out on something, maybe he should try to be a product designer instead. But for the sake of the product, he shouldn't be both.