It is competence, not total hours that count.
Since when? I would argue it has been the complete opposite historically in GA. Once you get into an airline you have to be competent to keep your job, but getting there is all about ticking boxes regardless of ability. Plenty of people have been fired in GA because of a serious incident only to pick up a better job somewhere else because they "had the hours".
If you read the report this guy was being baby sat from the RHS by a more experienced pilot.