[speeder]

It is interesting the focus on academic achievements.

Yet I think, that yes, it means they might be hardworking people, but does not guarantee much else.

Sometimes you find great people that are not even graduated, and I am not talking about "Bill Gates fake dropout", but people that never set a foot in college in first place.

Some people started their trade very early, sometimes in childhood, and when they reach 20, they are already masters of it.

Of course, these are rare, so if you want to risk less, hiring only the best of their classes is fine.

[onemorepassword]

I don't agree with the logic behind it in this context.

a) Working hard in a commercial environment is something different from studying hard. Many successful academics are motivated by acquiring knowledge, but find it very hard to motivate themselves to produce stuff, especially marketable end-products.

b) Laziness is not a major obstacle for a good hacker. Since there is a limited amount of time per day one can truly focus, laziness can be a great aid in picking your battles and avoid wasting energy.

[speeder]

Interesting.

Yes, hard to argue with that.

What I would say is that a top class might at least know how it is to work hard...

Maybe.