Ask HN: What makes a programmer a rockstar?

A programmer that is also a member of a really successful rock band. No person possessing both of these attributes walks the earth, yet. It is widely rumored that Steven Tyler might be interested in HTML, however. We will have to see how this develops.

Terms like rockstar, 10xer, or ninja are meant to flatter people and not describe attributes. Employers want to filter workers who will work to their own detriment for several reasons. They want people who are susceptible to flattery and are not very experienced in employment. They want people who will work nights and weekends as well. So I guess those are two attributes of a rockstar or 10xer. Most people on HN already know this because they're true rockstars and 10x'ers ;).

Someone is a rockstar if they are good at what they do. They make the job seem easy, always does things properly, and frequently wow you with their brilliance and ingenuity. Around them, there's constant motion.

Management will consider you a rockstar if you make them look good, help them win politically, look the part, talk the talk, and feed them the BS they want to hear.

Hiring managers and recruiters will say they are looking for a rockstar (which they'll try to make seem like the first definition) and call you a rockstar if they're trying to hire you in for a crap role, and think stroking your ego and bending the truth will get it done.

Just like 'ninja' is a marketing word. It probably means the person loves their job and makes it their passion and others think that person is so good at what he/she does that they admire him/her. I wouldn't read too much into it. The wording is often chosen so the job ad sounds young, cool and hip (and the same founders might present themselves in suits in all public photos to appear more serious).

You're right, in reality the companies are looking for humble 10x programmers who get their job done without much fuss. Bonus points if the person is cool to hang out with outside work.

When I think of "rockstar" or "10x'er" engineers I think of Fabrice Ballard. The idea of rockstar and 10x'er are both mostly buzz words to make developers feel real good about themselves. Many people would put Fabrice in this category, though he probably wouldn't put himself into the category at all. Regardless here are a few traits he has which make him amazing.

He puts a constant level of effort into everything he does. Not an insane level of effort, just constant.

He is very knowledgeable about his craft. He constantly expands on what he knows within his area of expertise.

He does not attempt to know about everything. He stays with technologies he knows and understands and this allows him to have deep knowledge and to stick with his consistent level of effort.

Finally, he seems to try to know what he doesn't know. Again, by knowing what he doesn't know he can stay focuses, keep a consistent level or effort, and gain deep knowledge.

Whether these will make you a rockstar, I have no idea. But I can say that by living by these principles you can become a really exceptional engineer.

I have a hypothesis on this... what happens when a Rockstar enters a room?

* People recognize them

* A crowd forms around them

* People ask to take photos with them

* They get paid huge amounts of money just to show up somewhere

* They get standing ovations at conferences

So just apply that to software developers. I have known two or three software developers that fit that criteria in my life and a half dozen CEOs that fit that criteria.

What does that have to do with being good at your job? Nothing, except maybe that to get to Rockstar status you must be well known in the community and probably did something worthy of it.

On the other hand, I have known a lot of 10x developers. Very few of whom met the rockstar criteria.

Rockstars are called rockstars in the music world because they are famous and usually really talented. So that's the defnition I go by for developers.

I'm not sure people writing job description feel the same way.

[edited for spacing on the list]

The exact same thing as with musicians and vocalists: Fame.

It seldom matters how it was acquired, or what you believe about the intrinsic or marginal value of their work... At a minimum it is self-referential: They're famous because they're famous because...

Trying to attach virtues to programmer-fame is just as pointless as trying to do it with musicians. Do you really want a programming-version of Justin Bieber working on your codebase? Why or why not?

Are you asking for yourself or because you want to hire them? If you want to hire them, it's best that you completely forget about this mindset.

If you are asking for yourself, strive to be a an improving professional, and realize that many people who accomplish more also work more (at work or on their own).

Excellent question!

To me, rockstar does not equal to 10xer. Rockstar does not necessarily perform better, but they have gained enough (positive) reputation within their domain that they now have fans.

In other words, hiring rockstars means you get to hire their fans easier. It's a personal network thing.

Richard Stallman

https://groups.google.com/a/mysociety.org/forum/m/#!msg/myso...

Cubicle strobe lights, smoke machine(s).

One who gets shit done.

The HR department.

Groupies

smart and gets shit done