Yeah. Although the thing that model warns is that even if everybody was perfect on merit - smart, educated, adaptable, personable, hard working and lucky - only

Yeah. Although the thing that model warns is that even if everybody was perfect on merit - smart, educated, adaptable, personable, hard working and lucky - only the same percentage of them will rise. All merit gives you in this rat race is first call on the opportunity to rise. Of course this is an over-simplified model. In real life the stratification of society is a bit flexible. A great many people could rise to CEO without saturating the demand. But by no means everybody.