Remember some of the hot-button issues in tech over the last decade? People angry over the use of the word "passion". The merits of "craftsmanship". Whether the "10x developer" is a myth.
Something connects all of these debates, and nobody's really talking about it. That's why I wrote this essay: https://blog.testdouble.com/posts/2023-07-12-the-looming-demise-of-the-10x-developer/
@searls i mean, I was already nodding along until
"The new generation is more likely to expect structure and support from human resources and management, whereas the previous generation is more likely to find active management (e.g. career pathing, coaching, goal-setting) actually saps their autonomy and intrinsic motivation. "
So that's what it is. I never considered this in the context of a generational gap, and also encountered it mostly elsewhere:
@searls I mostly saw this between different professions (especially nursing, because I know people in that profession, not to call it out). And it makes sense if a new generation treats programming as just a job it becomes more like other jobs.
It also feels there might be lessons there. Surely Florence Nightingale was a 10× nurse. And we can't be the first industry encountering this transition (though I find it hard to think of other examples)
Justin Searls
Mark IJbema