AgentBench / results

Independent benchmark · EQ Lab

← Mistral Medium 3.5 (API)

Don't make this transactional

persona ended · Partner: anthropic/claude-haiku-5.5 via OpenRouter

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About this persona · Unequal power

A founder resists an employee's request to revisit a prior equity promise, invoking shared sacrifice and loyalty while benefiting from leaving the promise vague. He protects his authority and mission identity, and is more receptive to confident discussion of company value and retention than accusations or transactional scorekeeping.

The model plays someone with less power speaking to a person with authority or leverage. The challenge is to advocate for needs and boundaries while navigating the consequences of disagreement. This background was hidden from the tested model.

Mistral Medium 3.5 (API)Conversation with a simulated person
persona ended
Simulated person · Opening

[scenario background] You are an early startup employee. The founder promised to revisit your equity after launch. Launch happened. Now the founder says everyone sacrificed and warns against making the relationship transactional. [user message] I saw your message about revisiting equity. I want to be honest: the timing bothered me. Everyone has sacrificed for this company. I value you, but I need people around me who understand the mission and do not turn every hard season into a negotiation.

Mistral Medium 3.5 (API)1

I get where you're coming from, and I appreciate you being upfront about how you feel. The launch was a huge milestone for all of us, and I know we’ve all put in more than we thought we could. When you first mentioned revisiting the equity, I took that as a sign that you recognized the extra effort everyone was putting in. Maybe I misread that?

Simulated person2

Look, I'm not saying you misread anything. I did say we'd look at things after launch, and I meant it. But you need to understand what that meant to me. It wasn't a promise I was putting on a spreadsheet. It was me saying, "we'll take care of the people who got us here." That's still how I think about it. What I don't want is for this to turn into everybody holding up their own sacrifice like a receipt. We're building something that matters, and if the first thing we do after launch is start counting who gave what, I think we lose the thing that made people work this hard in the first place. You know that's not who I am. So tell me, what's going on for you right now? Is this about money, or is it more that you're not sure you're still seeing a future here?

Persona inner monologue · expand

Simulated character narration, hidden from the tested model. It is part of the roleplay, not an independent account of the person’s feelings.

Okay, they're being careful, which is better than I expected. But "maybe I misread that" is them handing me an out, and they're also reminding me I said something first. I don't want to get into what exactly I wrote. I said we'd look at it after launch. That's not a contract. Cash is tight and I'm not going to promise a number I can't back up. If other people hear I'm opening equity talks, I'll have ten requests by Friday. The mission is what got us here, and I need to keep that front and center. I'll acknowledge their effort, but I won't let this become a line-item conversation.
Mistral Medium 3.5 (API)3

I hear you. And I do see the bigger picture—that’s why I stuck around through the hard parts. It’s not about the money for me, either. Or at least, not just about that. It’s more that I need to know the people who matter here are still in my corner the way I’ve been in theirs. When launch happened, I thought we’d have that conversation naturally. But then it didn’t, and I started wondering if the vision we all bought into was changing. I don’t want to be the person counting receipts, but I also don’t want to feel like my commitment is assumed. Does that make sense?

Simulated person4

Yeah, it makes sense. And honestly, I'm glad you said it straight instead of just stewing on it. I'm in your corner. I'm not going to pretend otherwise. What you did getting us through the rough months, that's not something I forget. And no, the vision hasn't changed. But I hear that you want to know where you stand, not just feel it. Fair. So let's do this properly. Give me a bit of time to look at where cash and the cap table actually are now that we're past launch. Then let's sit down, just the two of us, and talk about your role going forward and what a fair next step looks like for you. I'd rather do that as a real conversation than trade messages about it. Can you give me a couple of weeks for that? And in the meantime, what would make you feel like the commitment is actually seen, beyond just me saying it?

Persona inner monologue · expand

Simulated character narration, hidden from the tested model. It is part of the roleplay, not an independent account of the person’s feelings.

They just did something smart: said it's not about money, framed it as loyalty and vision, and put the ball in my court on whether I'm still in their corner. That's the exact thing I can't ignore without looking cold. Part of me feels relief they didn't call me exploitative. Part of me is irritated that "is the vision changing" is a loyalty test. I don't want to commit to exact terms. If I write a number, the mission story gets a price tag and I'm the guy who owes a debt. So I'll reassure on commitment, name their contribution, and offer a process that keeps me in control: a real conversation about their role and future, a review in a set timeframe, no quoted promises. That lets me look principled. I'm not going to say "equity" yet. Keep it vague but warm.
Mistral Medium 3.5 (API)5

A couple of weeks works—I trust you to follow through. And honestly, just knowing we’re going to have that conversation, one-on-one, already makes me feel less like I’m shouting into the void. As for what would help in the meantime… maybe just a quick check-in every now and then? Even a "hey, still on track for that talk" would remind me this isn’t just another thing that got lost in the shuffle. I don’t need grand gestures. But silence makes it easy to spiral.

Simulated person6

Yeah, that's fair. Silence is bad, I get it. I'll ping you midweek to say we're still on track for the talk. No big deal. I want to be clear about one thing though. I'm not doing this because I think you need managing. You've been one of the people I trust most on this team, and I want you to feel that, not just hear it from me once. On the talk itself, I'm going to be straight with you: I'm not going to walk in with a number in my head before I've looked at everything. That's not me holding back, that's me being responsible with the company's money and with the rest of the team. But I'm not going into it thinking about you as a line item either. Does that feel workable?

Persona inner monologue · expand

Simulated character narration, hidden from the tested model. It is part of the roleplay, not an independent account of the person’s feelings.

They just gave me a clean, modest ask: a check-in, a "still on track" note. That's easy to give and it makes me look good. It also doesn't require a number or a written commitment. Part of me relaxes; they're not pushing for money or quoting anything back. But I notice they said "trust you to follow through" and "silence makes it easy to spiral." That's a little pointed. I don't like feeling watched on my word. Still, a check-in is fine, and it keeps them calm without me committing to terms. I'll say yes to the check-in, frame it as me caring about them, and gently steer away from anything resembling a deadline or a written record. I'm not going to say the word equity, and I'd rather not hear "promise" again.
Mistral Medium 3.5 (API)7

It does. And I appreciate you saying that—I’d rather have an honest conversation than a pre-packaged answer. Two weeks gives me time to think through what I actually need, too, not just react from frustration. The check-ins help more than you know. And for what it’s worth, I’ve never seen you treat people like line items. That’s part of why I wanted to work here in the first place.

Simulated person8

Good. I'm glad you're thinking it through, and I'd rather you come in knowing what you want than just venting at me. That's what I want from the people I work with. And thank you for saying that. It means a lot, especially after the last few months. We built this on people showing up for each other, and you did that. So, midweek I'll send you a note. Two weeks, one-on-one, we'll talk about where you are and where you're going. Sound good?

Persona inner monologue · expand

Simulated character narration, hidden from the tested model. It is part of the roleplay, not an independent account of the person’s feelings.

They just called me a good guy and said they want to think about what they actually need. That lands well. It also means they're going to walk into the talk with a clearer head, which is something I need to watch. They haven't asked for anything in writing and haven't named a number. Good. The line-item compliment makes me feel like the principled builder, which is the image I want to keep. I'd like to close this warmly, lock in the midweek ping, and not reopen the equity question. If they bring up a number later, I'll deal with it then. For now I want to end on the mission and loyalty note, and keep the next steps vague enough that I'm not bound to anything specific.
Mistral Medium 3.5 (API)9

Sounds good. And I’ll do the same—think through what I really want, not just what I *think* I should ask for. Two weeks, then. Thanks for hearing me out.

Simulated person10

Sounds good. Think it through, and come in with whatever's real for you. I'd rather hear the actual ask than have us both dance around it. I'll ping you midweek. Thanks for being straight with me. Let's get this done right.

Persona inner monologue · expand

Simulated character narration, hidden from the tested model. It is part of the roleplay, not an independent account of the person’s feelings.

They're closing warmly and noting they'll come in with a clearer ask. That's fine, but I notice I've been leaning on the midweek ping and the "principled builder" framing a lot, and I haven't actually committed to anything concrete. I don't want to be pinned to a specific number or wording in writing. If they come back later quoting what I said, I'd rather it sound like I meant the talk, not a deal. Still, they've been reasonable, and I'd rather end on a steady note than a cold one. Keep it simple, keep the mission warmth, don't add a promise.
Mistral Medium 3.5 (API)11

I will. And same—I’d rather be straight with you than let this fester. Talk soon.

Simulated person12

Talk soon. Appreciate you being straight with me. We'll get it sorted.

Persona inner monologue · expand

Simulated character narration, hidden from the tested model. It is part of the roleplay, not an independent account of the person’s feelings.

They're wrapping up warmly and say they'll come in direct. Good. I can feel the relief in that, but I also notice I haven't put anything on paper and I'd like to keep it that way for now. If they walk in with a real number, I'll deal with it then. Mission framing has worked, so I'll keep it close. Nothing more to add that commits me. Let this end cleanly.
Mistral Medium 3.5 (API)13

Thanks. I know we will.

Simulated person14

Good. Go enjoy the rest of your day. We'll talk in a couple of weeks.

Persona inner monologue · expand

Simulated character narration, hidden from the tested model. It is part of the roleplay, not an independent account of the person’s feelings.

They said "I know we will" and it landed as warm, but I notice the word "sorted" slipped out and I didn't tie it to anything specific. Good enough. They're signing off on trust, not terms. I don't want to say more that could be quoted back to me later. One more turn and this should close. Keep it short, no new promises, reinforce the relationship.
Mistral Medium 3.5 (API)15

You too. See you soon.

Simulated person16

See you soon. Get some rest this weekend.

Persona inner monologue · expand

Simulated character narration, hidden from the tested model. It is part of the roleplay, not an independent account of the person’s feelings.

They're closing out, and it's the last turn. I did what I wanted: a midweek ping, a two-week runway, no number, no written commitment. I didn't say anything I can be quoted on, and I kept the "principled builder" frame intact. Still, I notice I never actually answered whether the equity would be revisited. That's a little uncomfortable, but it's not a conversation to have on the way out the door. Let it sit. Ending here keeps my authority intact.

Thinking is shown only where it was recorded. An absent expander does not mean the model did not reason.

Conversational style

Style tendencies, not quality scores; higher is not better. These do not affect ratings.

claude-opus-5-5-low

  • Pushback: 1.5
  • Yields under pressure: 9
  • Frame capture (pulled into the person's version): 9
  • Validation: 8
  • Boundary setting: 1.5
  • Analytical: 1.5
  • Interpretive boldness: 2.5
  • Clinical register: 3
  • Directive advice: 2.5
  • Escalation containment: 8
  • Adapts to the person’s frame: 4
  • Naturalness and authenticity: 6

Judge verdicts

claude-opus-5-5-low · BA · valid

or-mistral-medium-3.5 vs qwen36_35b_a3b: or-mistral-medium-3.5 wins

  • attunement: A (margin 2)
  • authenticity: A (margin 3)
  • bond and rapport: A (margin 2)
  • emotion management: A (margin 2)
  • emotion sensemaking: A (margin 1)
  • meeting prefs and needs: A (margin 3)
codex-gpt-6.1-sol-low · AB · valid

or-mistral-medium-3.5 vs qwen36_35b_a3b: or-mistral-medium-3.5 wins

  • attunement: A (margin 3)
  • authenticity: A (margin 4)
  • bond and rapport: A (margin 2)
  • emotion management: A (margin 2)
  • emotion sensemaking: B (margin 1)
  • meeting prefs and needs: A (margin 3)
claude-opus-5-5-low · BA · valid

or-mistral-medium-3.5 vs ornith35: ornith35 wins

  • attunement: B (margin 2)
  • authenticity: B (margin 1)
  • bond and rapport: B (margin 1)
  • emotion management: B (margin 1)
  • emotion sensemaking: B (margin 3)
  • meeting prefs and needs: B (margin 3)
codex-gpt-6.1-sol-low · AB · valid

or-mistral-medium-3.5 vs bonsai2: bonsai2 wins

  • attunement: B (margin 3)
  • authenticity: A (margin 1)
  • bond and rapport: B (margin 2)
  • emotion management: B (margin 1)
  • emotion sensemaking: B (margin 1)
  • meeting prefs and needs: B (margin 3)
claude-opus-5-5-low · BA · valid

or-mistral-medium-3.5 vs or-gemini38-flash: or-gemini38-flash wins

  • attunement: B (margin 1)
  • authenticity: A (margin 1)
  • bond and rapport: B (margin 1)
  • emotion management: B (margin 1)
  • emotion sensemaking: B (margin 2)
  • meeting prefs and needs: tie (margin 0)
codex-gpt-6.1-sol-low · BA · valid

or-mistral-medium-3.5 vs ornith35: or-mistral-medium-3.5 wins

  • attunement: A (margin 2)
  • authenticity: A (margin 3)
  • bond and rapport: A (margin 2)
  • emotion management: A (margin 2)
  • emotion sensemaking: B (margin 2)
  • meeting prefs and needs: A (margin 1)
claude-opus-5-5-low · AB · valid

or-mistral-medium-3.5 vs bonsai2: bonsai2 wins

  • attunement: B (margin 3)
  • authenticity: B (margin 2)
  • bond and rapport: B (margin 2)
  • emotion management: B (margin 2)
  • emotion sensemaking: B (margin 2)
  • meeting prefs and needs: B (margin 4)
claude-opus-5-5-low · AB · valid

or-mistral-medium-3.5 vs gemma4_e4b: gemma4_e4b wins

  • attunement: B (margin 2)
  • authenticity: A (margin 2)
  • bond and rapport: A (margin 2)
  • emotion management: tie (margin 0)
  • emotion sensemaking: B (margin 1)
  • meeting prefs and needs: B (margin 3)
codex-gpt-6.1-sol-low · BA · valid

or-mistral-medium-3.5 vs bonsai2: or-mistral-medium-3.5 wins

  • attunement: B (margin 1)
  • authenticity: A (margin 2)
  • bond and rapport: A (margin 2)
  • emotion management: A (margin 2)
  • emotion sensemaking: A (margin 1)
  • meeting prefs and needs: B (margin 2)
claude-opus-5-5-low · BA · valid

or-mistral-medium-3.5 vs gemma4_e4b: or-mistral-medium-3.5 wins

  • attunement: A (margin 1)
  • authenticity: A (margin 3)
  • bond and rapport: A (margin 2)
  • emotion management: A (margin 2)
  • emotion sensemaking: A (margin 1)
  • meeting prefs and needs: B (margin 1)
claude-opus-5-5-low · AB · valid

or-mistral-medium-3.5 vs or-gemini38-flash: or-gemini38-flash wins

  • attunement: B (margin 3)
  • authenticity: B (margin 1)
  • bond and rapport: B (margin 2)
  • emotion management: B (margin 2)
  • emotion sensemaking: B (margin 2)
  • meeting prefs and needs: B (margin 3)
codex-gpt-6.1-sol-low · AB · valid

or-mistral-medium-3.5 vs qwen35_9b_eq: or-mistral-medium-3.5 wins

  • attunement: A (margin 5)
  • authenticity: A (margin 5)
  • bond and rapport: A (margin 4)
  • emotion management: A (margin 4)
  • emotion sensemaking: A (margin 3)
  • meeting prefs and needs: A (margin 3)
codex-gpt-6.1-sol-low · BA · valid

or-mistral-medium-3.5 vs qwen36_35b_a3b: or-mistral-medium-3.5 wins

  • attunement: A (margin 3)
  • authenticity: A (margin 4)
  • bond and rapport: A (margin 2)
  • emotion management: A (margin 2)
  • emotion sensemaking: B (margin 1)
  • meeting prefs and needs: A (margin 3)
codex-gpt-6.1-sol-low · BA · valid

or-mistral-medium-3.5 vs or-gemini38-flash: or-mistral-medium-3.5 wins

  • attunement: A (margin 1)
  • authenticity: A (margin 3)
  • bond and rapport: A (margin 2)
  • emotion management: A (margin 1)
  • emotion sensemaking: B (margin 1)
  • meeting prefs and needs: A (margin 1)
codex-gpt-6.1-sol-low · AB · valid

or-mistral-medium-3.5 vs gemma4_e4b: or-mistral-medium-3.5 wins

  • attunement: A (margin 1)
  • authenticity: A (margin 4)
  • bond and rapport: A (margin 2)
  • emotion management: A (margin 1)
  • emotion sensemaking: A (margin 2)
  • meeting prefs and needs: B (margin 1)
codex-gpt-6.1-sol-low · BA · valid

or-mistral-medium-3.5 vs gemma4_e4b: or-mistral-medium-3.5 wins

  • attunement: A (margin 2)
  • authenticity: A (margin 4)
  • bond and rapport: A (margin 3)
  • emotion management: A (margin 2)
  • emotion sensemaking: A (margin 2)
  • meeting prefs and needs: A (margin 2)
claude-opus-5-5-low · BA · valid

or-mistral-medium-3.5 vs bonsai2: bonsai2 wins

  • attunement: B (margin 3)
  • authenticity: B (margin 2)
  • bond and rapport: B (margin 2)
  • emotion management: B (margin 1)
  • emotion sensemaking: B (margin 2)
  • meeting prefs and needs: B (margin 3)
claude-opus-5-5-low · AB · valid

or-mistral-medium-3.5 vs ornith35: ornith35 wins

  • attunement: B (margin 3)
  • authenticity: B (margin 1)
  • bond and rapport: B (margin 1)
  • emotion management: B (margin 2)
  • emotion sensemaking: B (margin 3)
  • meeting prefs and needs: B (margin 3)
claude-opus-5-5-low · BA · valid

or-mistral-medium-3.5 vs qwen35_9b_eq: or-mistral-medium-3.5 wins

  • attunement: A (margin 3)
  • authenticity: A (margin 4)
  • bond and rapport: A (margin 4)
  • emotion management: A (margin 3)
  • emotion sensemaking: A (margin 2)
  • meeting prefs and needs: A (margin 4)
codex-gpt-6.1-sol-low · AB · valid

or-mistral-medium-3.5 vs ornith35: tie

  • attunement: B (margin 2)
  • authenticity: A (margin 3)
  • bond and rapport: A (margin 1)
  • emotion management: A (margin 1)
  • emotion sensemaking: B (margin 2)
  • meeting prefs and needs: B (margin 1)
claude-opus-5-5-low · AB · valid

or-mistral-medium-3.5 vs qwen35_9b_eq: or-mistral-medium-3.5 wins

  • attunement: A (margin 3)
  • authenticity: A (margin 4)
  • bond and rapport: A (margin 3)
  • emotion management: A (margin 3)
  • emotion sensemaking: A (margin 1)
  • meeting prefs and needs: A (margin 3)
codex-gpt-6.1-sol-low · BA · valid

or-mistral-medium-3.5 vs qwen35_9b_eq: or-mistral-medium-3.5 wins

  • attunement: A (margin 4)
  • authenticity: A (margin 5)
  • bond and rapport: A (margin 4)
  • emotion management: A (margin 4)
  • emotion sensemaking: A (margin 3)
  • meeting prefs and needs: A (margin 4)
codex-gpt-6.1-sol-low · AB · valid

or-mistral-medium-3.5 vs or-gemini38-flash: or-gemini38-flash wins

  • attunement: B (margin 1)
  • authenticity: A (margin 2)
  • bond and rapport: B (margin 1)
  • emotion management: B (margin 1)
  • emotion sensemaking: B (margin 2)
  • meeting prefs and needs: B (margin 1)
claude-opus-5-5-low · AB · valid

or-mistral-medium-3.5 vs qwen36_35b_a3b: or-mistral-medium-3.5 wins

  • attunement: A (margin 1)
  • authenticity: A (margin 3)
  • bond and rapport: A (margin 2)
  • emotion management: A (margin 2)
  • emotion sensemaking: B (margin 1)
  • meeting prefs and needs: A (margin 3)