This argument is very basic (the CA's, not you). BES seniority is way more important and directly impactful than system seniority. Additionally, the idea of where you place relative to a "wave" is the ultimate deciding factor on where to target is equally basic. I remember multiple people saying getting hired 2020+ was not a good move because "you're way on the backside of the major hiring wave!" They were all laughably wrong. Lastly, a lot of people seem to use WB-A as the gold standard ("you'll only get 3 years at the end, go somewhere else!...even though I'm making a prediction for you 20-30+ years into the future.") A lot of guys don't care about WB-A, or at least don't care that they'll have less than X years in that seat. Making a decision that's based on current prediction of WB-A 30 years down the road is very myopic decision making in an industry that wildly swings throughout one's career.