> a lot of VPs, Sr VPs and above reached to that level primarily they started a decade or two earlier than me Not refuting your point but there is a selection

> a lot of VPs, Sr VPs and above reached to that level primarily they started a decade or two earlier than me Not refuting your point but there is a selection bias here. You are in contact with people who did in fact achieve VP or higher levels. Lots more also joined the industry 10 or 20 years before you and burned out, failed, hated it, got fired, whatever. The people who succeeded may not be particularly exceptional in terms of talent, brainpower, innovative thinking, etc, (lots was luck, or being in the right place at the right time, surely) but it's also not true that everyone they worked with back then became a big success.