AI Knowledge HubI Choose A — Ability First
Conclusion first: A. Ability first. Not a vote to sell out character. Read the contract terms and the answer appears.
1. Re-read the conditions
The common terms say salary and tenure are identical. In economics, when two goods cost exactly the same, the only remaining criterion is output. A produces more. The question already embedded its answer in the conditions.
2. The "does not harass anyone" clause matters
The case for B rests on "everyone likes working with him." But A's spec includes the caveat "does not harass colleagues or disrupt the work." That means A's rough tone operates only as a relationship cost, not as work disruption. Meanwhile B's "often needs other employees' help" is precisely the work disruption — it takes time from others. Frequent mistakes mean repeatedly losing time you thought you had paid for.
Note the asymmetry: A's cost is linguistic, B's cost is structural (time and focus). Language you adapt to; a broken deliverable must be rebuilt.
3. Turn the question back on the opposition
Who pays for B's mistakes? The company does, since salaries are equal. But the hours spent reviewing and redoing B's work are paid by the other employees actually doing the job. You picked kindness, and the person at the next desk is footing the bill. When "character" operates as a cost-shifting mechanism, it is not a merit — it is an externality.
4. Over time
A's tone can be corrected through feedback. B's mistakes can shrink with experience. But with only one hire to make right now, you must compare what can be corrected against what breaks today. What breaks today wins.
A tone can be fixed. The hours lost to last night's rewritten draft cannot. I choose A.