Hire Slow, Fire Fast

Biological Parallel

Cleaner wrasse fish inspect potential clients extensively—circling, testing, assessing parasite load—before committing to a cleaning relationship that requires trust and repeated interaction. But if a client fish proves unreliable (sudden movements, aggression), the wrasse immediately terminates the relationship and blacklists them. This asymmetry makes evolutionary sense: the cost of accepting a bad partner (injury, wasted effort) far exceeds the cost of extra vetting. Hire slow, fire fast codifies the same asymmetric risk calculus that governs mutualistic partnerships across biology.