I think this take is too cynical. Many executives are by definition good with people -- politics included. There are negative forms of this, but there are also

I think this take is too cynical. Many executives are by definition good with people -- politics included. There are negative forms of this, but there are also positive forms. I've had really good managers who could work across orgs and manage expectations and drive results. Tech ICs typically don't have this aptitude. Andy Grove's book "High Output Management" explains how good middle management ought to be, and I've experienced it first hand. The Peter Principle is widely known and modern orgs are designed to account for it (American management is constantly evolving) -- for instance, promotions today are based on personnel already performing at the next level rather than them just showing good results at their current level.