> the 10x developer is a 10x because they've spent ~10x more time immersed in the problem domain than the average developer.
Your ratio is off. This doesn't grow linearly, it grows exponentially. It probably takes more than 10x the experience/time to get to 2x in performance. > If 10x engineer takes a weekend to solve a problem that has stumped the team for a month
This is very rare in the real world. There are also alternative explanations you're ignoring: 1. Luck. Seriously, do not underestimate luck, it plays a major role in your life[0]
2. Fresh eyes: You're not burdened with all the noise of the past engineering[1]
3. Getting to leverage the existing work. You have a new prior, you know to not think through the problem like the rest of the team has been.
Those are two obvious explanations but there are more. The reality is that it is going to be some combination along with the experience that you suggested. > I didn't get exactly the coveted 10x wording out of him
I do not want to imply in the least that you shouldn't be proud of your accomplishments. You absolutely should! But is this "10x" or actually smaller? A few weeks late you said, so how long do you think it would have taken had you not been so skilled? 20 weeks? More? If it really would have taken 20 weeks then yes, you are a 10xer and call me wildly impressed.But mind you, I'm also saying that being a "2xer" is wildly impressive. I'm even saying that being a 1.1xer is impressive (because it is!). So I'm really not trying to diminish your accomplishments. The feeling of pride you should have for your accomplishments shouldn't be diminished because you aren't calling yourself a "10xer". That's not what's being said here. Plus, my whole point is about sustained output. 10x and even 100x certainly exist in short tasks. I mean I can certainly produce a hello world program in python 100x faster than someone that doesn't know how to program. But over longer periods of time this gets to be much harder. Again, I don't want to diminish your pride, the story you explained is not a short task. [0] That isn't to say that skill doesn't matter, it very much does. But luck is pretty far up there. It is behind skill in importance, but there's not a single (or even 2) factor that controls your life. [1] This isn't luck, you can control this too. Stuck on a problem? Walk away. Go for a walk. But come back. |