Comment by padseeker

This feels like a gross oversimplification. The last company I left had plenty of brilliant people that I would consider at least as smart and knowledgable as I am. Many are still there. Those people have a lot of influence and credibility within the organization and value those things. Some people stick around because of the maturity of the organization, as they have worked in less stable operations, i.e. lots office politics and backstabbing, and know how bad it can be.

I'm not saying I don't think I'm smart, but my primary motivation was compensation.