My anecdote: I've been what one might call "10x" on some projects, and 1x on others.
In a position where I built the system/product from scratch, I'm the "10x" person. This is because I know the system's ins and outs better than I know myself. Of course I'm more productive with it. Of course I know exactly where to look when a bug arises. Of course I'm 10x better (across whatever arbitrary productivity dimension) than the new hire. It's not because I'm magical, it's because I was there when there was nothing.
Drop me into a new stack, with a new system, and I'll be -1x for at least a few months. Eventually I'll work my way to productivity, and that's fine. It's expected.
I think developer productivity has a lot less to do with technical skill than many people would like to think. I agree heavily with the article's points that "work environment matters a lot" and "productivity is a combination of inherent traits and acquired skills."
In a position where I built the system/product from scratch, I'm the "10x" person. This is because I know the system's ins and outs better than I know myself. Of course I'm more productive with it. Of course I know exactly where to look when a bug arises. Of course I'm 10x better (across whatever arbitrary productivity dimension) than the new hire. It's not because I'm magical, it's because I was there when there was nothing.
Drop me into a new stack, with a new system, and I'll be -1x for at least a few months. Eventually I'll work my way to productivity, and that's fine. It's expected.
I think developer productivity has a lot less to do with technical skill than many people would like to think. I agree heavily with the article's points that "work environment matters a lot" and "productivity is a combination of inherent traits and acquired skills."