Well the first time Kier mentioned it, was on January 1st this year. I wrote an article about it and posted it on vb-germany.com and then it came to vb.com (I wasn't quite THAT cheeky lol). So it must have been at least since then. Although, maybe back then it was only a concept - but I doubt that.
I could say something about this and what should have, could have, or would have been, but I won't go there. All I can and want to say is, Way to go Kier and Mike! and the probably fast growing crew of XenForo. This will certainly stir up the paid forum software competition scene. I'm enjoying it already.
Yes, it's like any professional. Like athletes. They make doing their sport look so easy, but it really isn't. It takes a lot of hard work, dedication, determination, discipline and a lot of blood, sweat and tears to get there. But in the end, that sort of passion pays off.