I mean based on that answer I'd say you're obsessive and likely hard to work with in an environment that requires compromise (ie: a startup like in this context

I mean based on that answer I'd say you're obsessive and likely hard to work with in an environment that requires compromise (ie: a startup like in this context). So I'd consider that a rather bad answer personally. edit: Given it's a non-technical interviewer I'd say something like "I never compromise on making sure the business objective is met. I value code quality and documentation but sometimes trade offs need to be made especially in a company this size."