Ask HN: Are agent benchmarks the new credit ratings?

I did some talking to engineers at new-ish startups and agent companies are buying benchmarks to prove reliability to their customers. I'm theorizing that it looks a lot like pre-2008 credit ratings: the party being rated pays for the rating.

If you were to buy, or even approve an agent product, how much do you care about these benchmarks? What gets it over the line for you?