There’s been a lot of talk lately about mythical "10x developers" and whether they even exist. But long before that buzzword, Larry Wall, the creator of the Perl programming language, described three traits that still hold up today. I agree with them completely, so I’m passing them on here, plus a few extras I’ve learned along the way.
🛋️ Laziness
A good developer is lazy in the best possible way. They don’t want to waste time doing the same task over and over, so they write scripts and build tools to automate it. That’s how smart systems are born.
⚡ Impatience
Great developers hate waiting. They want things to run fast and respond instantly. This impatience drives them to optimize code and demand the fastest machine money can buy. It’s not ego. It’s efficiency.
👑 Arrogance
This one might sound off, but it’s true. A skilled developer writes code so solid that no one can criticize it. Not because they’re defensive, but because they take pride in getting it right. This pride pushes them to deliver polished, reliable solutions.
🔍 Curiosity
Strong developers are lifelong learners. They constantly explore new languages, frameworks, and tools. They ask questions, dig deep, and never settle for surface-level understanding. Curiosity keeps their skills sharp and their work fresh.
🧠 Clarity
They don’t just write code that works. They write code that is readable, maintainable, and elegant. They know future developers will look at it, and they want it to make sense. Clean code is a sign of clear thinking.
👥 Collaboration
Being good at programming doesn’t mean working alone. Excellent developers communicate clearly, review others’ code respectfully, and help junior teammates grow. They know software is a team sport.
🎯 Focus
When it’s time to code, they go deep. No multitasking, no distractions. Just headphones on and full attention on solving the problem. This ability to focus is what allows them to produce consistent, high-quality work.
🧰 Pragmatism
They know when to write a custom solution and when to use a library. They know when to refactor and when to ship. They aren’t perfectionists, they’re problem solvers who choose the right trade-offs for the job.
If you have these qualities, or you’re working on them, you're already well on your way to being a developer worth trusting. These are the traits that matter more than lines of code or fancy job titles.
I saw myself in these and thought maybe you would too.