Kind of like where the M-1 Carbine had been 4 years previously....
Hint: the one that is better engineered for its actual end use has more exemplars in the field.
Second hint: engineering a useful product is, in the final analysis, more important than inventing any product that doesn't satisfy the needs of the consumer.
Engineering isn't always discovery or invention, although those can be important parts of the process. The ultimate tests of engineering are Does it work so well the user never thinks about it? and Can everyone who wants one afford one?
The AK design passes those tests with flying colors.