Soft skills like communication and teamwork are often praised in job postings, but do they really outweigh technical expertise when hiring decisions are made? After sitting on five hiring panels this year, I noticed we always defaulted to the candidate with the strongest portfolio, even when their interpersonal style was abrasive. Maybe companies say they value soft skills but secretly reward hard skills because they're easier to measure and defend. However, I've also seen projects collapse not from lack of coding ability but from conflicts that went unmanaged. So I'm torn: is the emphasis on soft skills mostly corporate lip service, or does it genuinely determine long-term success in most roles?