Right, one of the things that has to be clarified is that there are developers in the industry that should not be in it. If we isolate them away from the conjec

Right, one of the things that has to be clarified is that there are developers in the industry that should not be in it. If we isolate them away from the conjecture and only look at good developers then the question becomes interesting. Say you have two people that can and have proven that they can deliver. When you take totally bad apples out of the equation and only look at competent developers it does become an interesting question. Personally I side with paying the better developer, unless it would be the only developer. It's a huge risk when your entire development progress hinges on one person. Now in a team of 5 or 15 where delivery will happen either way. I would still opt for the 5. I believe that 3x developers can make more creative leaps from understanding a broader picture of what is being developed.