I had the same impression. > ...is it not the fault of their direct managers & middle management for not floating those accomplishments up the chain? If that'

I had the same impression. > ...is it not the fault of their direct managers & middle management for not floating those accomplishments up the chain? If that's the only way upper management gets that info, I guess. But, especially in software, there are plenty of ways to get that info in addition to letting subjective takes float up the management chain. At the dumbest level, you can look at code metrics (still not great), but just knowing the product (software) and evaluating it yourself is a great idea. What restaurant manager never eats the food or inspects the walk-in?