I’m at Stanford and I research software engineering productivity.
We have data on the performance of >50k engineers from 100s of companies.
Inspired by @deedydas, our research shows:
~9.5% of software engineers do virtually nothing: Ghost Engineers (0.1x-ers)
We have data on the performance of >50k engineers from 100s of companies.
Inspired by @deedydas, our research shows:
~9.5% of software engineers do virtually nothing: Ghost Engineers (0.1x-ers)
How do we know 9.5% of software engineers are Ghosts?
Our model quantifies productivity by analyzing source code from private Git repos, simulating a panel of 10 experts evaluating each commit across multiple dimensions.
We've published a paper on this and have more on the way
Our model quantifies productivity by analyzing source code from private Git repos, simulating a panel of 10 experts evaluating each commit across multiple dimensions.
We've published a paper on this and have more on the way
We found that 14% of software engineers working remotely do almost no work (Ghost Engineers), compared to 9% in hybrid roles and 6% in the office.
Comparison between remote and office engineers.
On average, engineers working from the office perform better, but "5x" engineers are more common remotely.
On average, engineers working from the office perform better, but "5x" engineers are more common remotely.
Another way to look at this is counting code commits.
While this is a flawed way to measure productivity, it reveals inactivity: ~58% make <3 commits/month, aligning with our metric.
The other 42% make trivial changes, like editing one line or character--pretending to work.
While this is a flawed way to measure productivity, it reveals inactivity: ~58% make <3 commits/month, aligning with our metric.
The other 42% make trivial changes, like editing one line or character--pretending to work.
Assume every company below (inspired by @deedydas post) has 9.5% of its software engineers doing virtually nothing, in line with our research findings.
Here's how much each could save annually by letting them go
Here's how much each could save annually by letting them go
https://x.com/deedydas/status/1858929066264379629
If each company adds these savings to its bottom line (assuming no extra expenses), the market cap impact of 12 companies laying off unproductive engineers is $465B–with no decrease in performance!
What if we extrapolate this to the entire world?
Conservatively assuming just 6.5% of engineers worldwide are unproductive (instead of 9.5%), that’s $90B effectively wasted
Conservatively assuming just 6.5% of engineers worldwide are unproductive (instead of 9.5%), that’s $90B effectively wasted
Why does this matter?
It’s insane that ~9.5% of software engineers do almost nothing while collecting paychecks.
This unfairly burdens teams, wastes company resources, blocks jobs for others, and limits humanity’s progress.
It has to stop.
It’s insane that ~9.5% of software engineers do almost nothing while collecting paychecks.
This unfairly burdens teams, wastes company resources, blocks jobs for others, and limits humanity’s progress.
It has to stop.
Help us stop this insanity and participate in our research.
If your company fits our research directions, you can use the platform for free and receive insights for the research duration.
Our portal is …eengineeringproductivity.stanford.edu
If your company fits our research directions, you can use the platform for free and receive insights for the research duration.
Our portal is …eengineeringproductivity.stanford.edu
@edgefills @sean_from_earth @deedydas and here's another
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