That is a risk, definitely. And I think that kind of thing is probably in part why Google and others who followed them ended up where they did— wanting a system

That is a risk, definitely. And I think that kind of thing is probably in part why Google and others who followed them ended up where they did— wanting a system that was completely impersonal, quantifiable, and which could be said to be 100% meritocratic. Which is noble, I suppose. But clearly lots of people still felt that it was unfair and alienating; closer in spirit to a hazing than a good-faith evaluation.