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Comment by untog | Hacker News Reader

I don't think people disbelieve that 10x engineers exist. Just that 98% of those who claim to be one are wrong.

10x engineers don't exist in a process heavy workplace (eg: scrum agile). They're more like 2x engineers.

Yeah, there's no way you could have a John Carmack in an enterprise. They'd go absolutely bat poop crazy.

Right. Like almost any other subject, there will be a handful of people at the top and below them many more who are likely very good at what they do, but will probably never achieve what the top x% do.

I consider myself one that's very good, but I look at people like Carmack and realize I will never be one of them...that won't stop me from trying to though!

I disbelieve.

That said, I don't contend that some people are not at some point 10 times more productive than others. I contend that anyone can be just as productive, and often are, were or will be, although the manner in which they should be productive is absolutely not clear-cut. Society as a whole shapes how we act. Diversity in its composition allows what we rely upon.

For instance, I would not be as productive at work if I had to take care of a few children on my own. Similarly, I am extremely unproductive while gardening, and don't intend to spend the time to improve.

You're practically coming out and saying that all humans are equal and the only productivity differences can be attributed to other factors. That's a ridiculous position to take.

And extremely easy to disprove at this point with brain scans vs capabilities. We know enough about the brain now to understand that some people are born with advantages (or disadvantages), whether that's in memory or social skills.

You're making a far stronger claim than denying that some people are not 10x more productive than others. You're claiming that anyone can be just as productive as anyone else.

That seems to either be such a strong claim that it's trivial to refute, (i.e. a newborn baby, or a quadriplegic with severe mental retardation, etc.), or too nebulous and ill-defined to be of any use (i.e. said quadriplegic is productive in cultivating character in carers?)

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