> If I am ever in a position to hire (and affect through it entirely and only my own economic well being) I wouldn't mind having people I enjoy company of and can relate to. Genuinely awesome people are a plus point, but even in that category if I am able to find people who share the same background as mine, is it really that bad a decision?
Yes, it's the opposite of a meritocracy, which i'm not sure if there's a specific word for. Very close to cronyism.
> It's the opposite of a meritocracy ...
You seem to ignore the part where I mention that the two candidates are of equivalent if not equal skill set. If pure technical expertise was all that was expected from people, we wouldn't be singing songs about people-skills, entrepreneurial spirit and cultural _fitness_ like we do. Most of these values decide only how well the person is going to gel with the team.
Yes, it's the opposite of a meritocracy, which i'm not sure if there's a specific word for. Very close to cronyism.