The "one level below me" remark was in reference to Google's employee classification system/hierachy. Should've been obvious from the context (the author mentio

The "one level below me" remark was in reference to Google's employee classification system/hierachy. Should've been obvious from the context (the author mentioned he himself was classified as "UI Designer Level II"). And sure, hiring this guy would be a bad idea if your company was a complete shitshow, like Google apparently was at the time Knutson worked there. In any competently run company, he'd be an asset.