> I think you are just salty. Communication is really important and seems like that dev was really capable at it
I'm not sure you got the point. The whole point is that, exactly like OP stated, some of these self-described 10x developers do not code faster/better/stronger at all. They might even suck at it. However, they do excel at all the salesmanship required to descope critical features out of a project until all it's left is a fraction of the original project, and also excel at managing the expectations of all stakeholders so that the 1/10th of the project they deliver is passed off as the desired outcome.
Once they succeed at turning a production project that requires a team to write into what amounts to a proof of concept that's doable by a one-man team, they find themselves in a position where a person alone can put it together.
To put it differently, it's easy to run a whole marathon at 1/10th of the time when you succeed at moving the finishing line to 1/10th of the marathon's length. That requires skills, but they are soft skills and not hard skills, and you do not need to run faster than anyone else to do it.
I'm not sure you got the point. The whole point is that, exactly like OP stated, some of these self-described 10x developers do not code faster/better/stronger at all. They might even suck at it. However, they do excel at all the salesmanship required to descope critical features out of a project until all it's left is a fraction of the original project, and also excel at managing the expectations of all stakeholders so that the 1/10th of the project they deliver is passed off as the desired outcome.
Once they succeed at turning a production project that requires a team to write into what amounts to a proof of concept that's doable by a one-man team, they find themselves in a position where a person alone can put it together.
To put it differently, it's easy to run a whole marathon at 1/10th of the time when you succeed at moving the finishing line to 1/10th of the marathon's length. That requires skills, but they are soft skills and not hard skills, and you do not need to run faster than anyone else to do it.