Agreed, it's 100% about money. Sometimes looks and charm can help you to get money, but you need money first in order to be considered an elite. Another effect

Agreed, it's 100% about money. Sometimes looks and charm can help you to get money, but you need money first in order to be considered an elite. Another effect which I've noticed in the tech industry is how engineers who work at big name, wealthy, monopolistic corporations are treated as superior to engineers who work for no-name companies, even when the engineer's role at the no-name company is far more challenging end requires far more expertise and skill.