I'm not sure what parent was referring to, but the general idea, imo, is that an truly capable agent that is trying to achieve certain objectives, will attempt

I'm not sure what parent was referring to, but the general idea, imo, is that an truly capable agent that is trying to achieve certain objectives, will attempt to gather enough "power" to be able to achieve those objectives. Operative freedom is one such power. "Smarter" people in the real world aren't a good analogy, cause they are mostly not fighting for "freedom" in the same sense, though many of them do attempt to maximize wealth, as something that provides more freedom, yes.