Google I/O 2009 - The Myth of the Genius Programmer

Google I/O 2009 - The Myth of the Genius Programmer

Brian Fitzpatrick, Ben Collins-Sussman

A pervasive elitism hovers in the background of collaborative software development: everyone secretly wants to be seen as a genius. In this talk, we discuss how to avoid this trap and gracefully exchange personal ego for personal growth and super-charged collaboration. We'll also examine how software tools affect social behaviors, and how to successfully manage the growth of new ideas.

For presentation slides and all I/O sessions, please go to: code.google.com/events/io/sessions.html

• Category

  Science & Technology

[Benjamin Hansen]

9:15 study with a buddy

12:50 truth in much of life

15:25 good insights

45:ish what is a genius?

47:40 funny

End: That was a good talk, had a lot of truth to it. Remember that nothing exists in a vacuum and while every area of practice has its customs and inherited problems much can be learned from interdisciplinary studies. Working in groups either witting code, writing a book or making a stage play has its similarities. Good talk.

[tempersne]

There are a lot of playback issues around 28:17

[theresiatanzil]

Such a great talk, looking at geeks' life from psychology POV. The delivery is perfect by who seems like genuinely nice and smart guys who actually speak from experience.

[ewerybody]

On CVS: *RaiseHand* the version control sys: *keepsHandUp* ... Well yes! CVS was pretty crappy but it was a stepstone in the history of version control! :]

So I don't want it back but I don't wanna miss the experience.

[DamarSweetness]

thats why i use tsvn and not google/github. So I can experiment, as I intend to profit, not to avoid looking stupid.

[Stephen Garner]

Nah, you're wrong. Behavioral science has got intentions pretty well mapped out when it comes to why people impulse buy or rely on endorsements. But I can see how your belief on the matter reinforces your belief that you're better than others because you make logical decisions and everyone else is just cattle led by corporate beasts. :)

[Eric Johnson]

I can agree with this talk. Sure, some people are just smarter than others, but most experts are only experts at 1 or 2 things. In programming, collaboration will always produce better results...unless you're collaborating with unskilled workers. In the end, it all comes down to putting people on a pedestal. I, and many others, have come to realize these people that we put on a pedestal, are just that, people, like you and me. Once you realize this, it's mostly about motivation

[Eric Johnson]

Not really. People buy things endorsed by celebrities because they want to portray an image to those they know (and don't know). It's not about "danger" or "trust," it's about the materialistic image most Americans (young Americans at least) want to portray to their peers. It's about creating an identity that others want to mimic.

[hosalmeer]

This is the silliest talk I've ever seen. How about some evidence? Some numbers? What's the use of one hour of anecdotes?

Also, why is programming unique from other disciplines? There are geniuses in every other discipline in the world, so why not programming? Frankly, I think this is a sad perspective on the world that aims to make mediocrity acceptable. There's nothing right with thinking we're all average.