They might have been right actually: if you’re paying 1/5th the salary and getting 1/5th the value added per hour in exchange, there is no net effect on product

They might have been right actually: if you’re paying 1/5th the salary and getting 1/5th the value added per hour in exchange, there is no net effect on productivity. Only half kidding - most people don’t realize that productivity is measured in dollars of value added per dollar spent on labor.