Comment by noduerme

This is a good counterpoint that explains why, maybe as roles change or companies grow, people who weren't exceptionally good at one role end up overseeing it. The pithy / laconic observation I was immediately responding to was pretty spot on though, and still seems to pertain (in general).

Breaking it down: That the most diligent / irreplaceable people who know the guts of the machine tend to be chained to their roles with occasional raises seems fairly logical from a C-Suite perspective. The tendency to promote incompetence - particularly overconfident incompetence - is the part that bears more scrutiny. If it were isolated to a few companies, it wouldn't be so relatable. I have a theory that it has to do with certain kinds of communication skills (specifically, bullshitting), being selected for in certain roles. And being able to write good code and explain why it has to be done that way requires the opposite of bullshitting.