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It would be great to see some discussion on what environment could one provide that would enable A players to thrive and reach their potential.

Pay them enough, give them an interesting problem, and lock them in a room with a bunch of other A players

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Pay is actually quite low on the list of things that a great developer will value when choosing where to work. And I think it's dangerous to just lock the A players in a room amongst themselves; they need to communicate closely with others in the organization, otherwise the value they try and add might be missing the target.

That's why I said "enough", not "a lot". Everybody has to eat food, have a place to sleep, etc.

I know, I was being somewhat facetious. More what I mean is, put them in a tight-knit group, and you are right- it is very important they interact with the rest of the organization too.

Most important don't drown them in office politics or unnecessary paperwork.

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