That’s a false dichotomy and bad leadership judgement. I don’t doubt these arguments are made and sometimes won (especially in dysfunctional or apathetic orgs), but context matters, there’s no value system that supersedes critical thinking in context. One of the questions I ask in staff+ promo committee is what did this person prevent from being built.

Good question :-) Could make sense on a senior developer level?

At the same time, seems possibly easy to game? If two friends make unnecessary suggestions, and stop each other's suggestions.

If it becomes well known that this question is being asked?

Not much work required to pretend one stopped sth from getting built