The people who reach the top are the people who outcompeted everyone else who wanted to be at the top, therefore, the people at the top are, nearly without exce

The people who reach the top are the people who outcompeted everyone else who wanted to be at the top, therefore, the people at the top are, nearly without exception, extremely competitive people. This applies to business, academia, and just about any other form of endeavor where only one or a few people can be at the top. Even for individual contributors, if you want your fair share of the compensation pie, you are going to have to compete for it against your peers. Failing to do so will leave you undercompensated.