Yeah.. Because watching a computer fly a plane from the left seat is a whole lot different than the right. TPIC is an arbitrary metric and is given importance by insecure folks that are still lost in some Sky Captain of Yesteryear childhood wet dream. Airlines that have too many resumes and no need to smartly filter the applicant pool use it. I've sat in both seats with multiple jobs. Anyone that feels like one side of the plane is worth more than the other is living in fantasy land.

I'm guessing the "special qualifications" you're referring to are gender or race? It's just not fair is it? I so rarely see white males in mainline flight decks.