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1x developers aren’t at 100% all the time either.

I think the 10x metric is productivity over a time period rather than peak performance. If I remember the original McKinsey report the idea is that one 10x will produce the same as 10 regular devs in a year.

I consider myself a 1x (or maybe .75x) and have periods of contemplation followed by periods of productivity within an hour or even a day. A 10x, I suppose, could operate in the same manner and so it’s certainly physically possible.

I’ve read interviews with John Carmack and he describes spending a few hours a day programming and almost a flow state.




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