Not sure what you mean by separating equilibrium... bimodal? I think we’re talking about different things. I’m comparing (in response to the parent) the devops guy with a few dl/ml side projects who is possibly skilled enough to join a data scientist team and contribute vs. a high ranking stem phd with a few years of experience who the devops guy may be supporting. Both can certainly undernegotiate, but they’re in different situations/roles usually.
The difference between the two you mention could be qualitative, as you imply, or it could be that some of the DS folks send the wrong signal. Not choosing a top-tier AI university would be a poor signal, and fail to differentiate quality candidates of equal ability.
It comes down to whether the mental model of meritocracy is actually practiced by the business world, which also includes whether screening performed by employers is accurate. It's not, ergo it stands to reason there are poor AI geniuses too.
