The AI Collaboration Paradox: Why Being Smart Isn't Enough Anymore
· 9 min read
Two engineers join your team on the same day. Both have stellar résumés. Both ace the technical interviews. Both score in the 95th percentile on algorithmic problem-solving.
Six months later, one is shipping 3x more features than the other.
The difference? It's not intelligence. It's not work ethic. It's not even technical depth.
It's something we're just beginning to measure: collaborative ability with AI.
And it's exposing an uncomfortable truth: in the age of AI agents, being smart isn't enough anymore.