I think it's not the superhuman ability to retain unlimited information, but the ability to know just enough information that triggers relearning of what you need. Also the best engineers can relearn those things faster than others.
Examples might be knowing which books, RFCs, API refs and guides to re-read to perform well on an upcoming project vs not knowing or knowing poorly.
Another important skill related to re-learning is knowing that time is limited and it's just as important to know what NOT to spend time on as what you do.
So I think these 2 skills - relearning and time management take a long time to develop and are the key to longevity in being a software engineer.
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