Generalize, or Fix The Problem?

Question

Which of these two programmers is "better", from a managerial standpoint?

The first programmer is Albert. You tell Al to make a system that will pass you the salt at the dinner table. He does it in less than a day. It works fine.

The second programmer is Ben. Ben is told to make a program to pass the salt, and after two days, he's still working on it.

It will save time in the long run...if you need pepper, ketchup, etc. There isn't any clear indication that there will be a need for this, but it's not improbable.

Who's the better programmer to have working under you, as a manager?