If you have any feedback on this post I'd really appreciate it.

You can also see them here: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008GJVAW4/ref=as_li_ss_tl?...

+1. Surround yourself with smart people always.

Agreed. The moment you consider yourself at the top, you no longer are curious/hungry to learn more.

If it requires changing your company compensation rules, you have different problems at hand. Great developers don't cost more in dollar signs so much as they do in operating in an environment with other great developers, working on great challenges.

That's not the same video. It's a different interview entirely, from many many many years prior to the one referenced.

This isn't quantifiable empirical evidence he's presenting. It's just what he's witnessed, and it's up to you to find out the same.

This. You've nailed it.

You could almost argue that those who put the time and work in, are by definition the 'A' players. Even if you're not top dog in terms of technical expertise; If you've got the hunger and passion to know more you'll almost certainly succeed over time.

That's a pretty romantic way of putting it, but I agree mostly. You're dead on about so-called 'A' players who have big egos and can't communicate or play well with others; They might even be 'A' in terms of technical expertise but that's not the whole picture.