That’s exactly it. Sometimes people actually do know more and it’s not “competing in the know-it-all Olympics” to be definitive on things one actually does understand. When someone is an authority on a topic, correcting ignorant misunderstandings isn’t a competition with the ignorant person, any more than a professional athlete is in competition with a toddler trying to mimic their exercise.

In this situation, I fully trust that the person who actually works at a company, knows the VP, and understands her company culture has a lot more authority on that workplace/person than someone who has either been out of the workforce for some time or works in an outdated work environment (as LW described his dad’s advice as old-fashioned), who worked or works in a very different context, and doesn’t know the wife’s company or the VP in question.