Its an essay that outlines one of the fundamental differences between the industrial era and the one just begun. Paul writes about what he knows about namely writing software, people who writes software and start up companies, but don’t let that fool you. For instance he writes: “If variation in productivity increases with technology, then the contribution of the most productive individuals will not only be disproportionately large, but will actually grow with time. When you reach the point where 90% of a group’s output is created by 1% of its members, you lose big if something (whether Viking raids, or central planning) drags their productivity down to the average. If we want to get the most out of them, we need to understand these especially productive people. What motivates them? What do they need to do their jobs? How do you recognise them? How do you get them to come and work for you? And then of course there’s the question, how do you become one?”
If you get bored in the middle then start reading from the bottom. The essay is best in the beginning and at the end. It ends: “If it is possible to make yourself into a great hacker, the way to do it may be to make the following deal with yourself: you never have to work on boring projects (unless your family will starve otherwise), and in return, you’ll never allow yourself to do a half-assed job. All the great hackers I know seem to have made that deal, though perhaps none of them had any choice in the matter.”