[npteljes]

>just end up hiring nice but mediocre people

I think a company can scale better with nice mediocre employees, rather than hardworking assholes. Hugely dependent on domain of course, some are more technical than others, and there are other factors too. But if no specialist talent is needed, I think a company is better off with okay but nice talent. The individual niceness will translate into productive communication, which sets a healthy atmosphere, which leads to less stress, lower employee turnover, and in general a less problematic team and workplace in general.