What makes you think those people are aware of and believe those people to be sycophants in the first place? It could just as easily be that their thinking is m

What makes you think those people are aware of and believe those people to be sycophants in the first place? It could just as easily be that their thinking is much simpler than that and they prefer people who suck up to them, without even thinking about there being a possible ulterior motive.