> how do people like him climb so high up the ladder?

I think about things like this...

Some people enjoy watching horror movies, and some people don't. Some people enjoy watching game of thrones, and others don't.

And I know a lot of smart people disengage from politics because it is a big mess.

In the same way, I think lots of people on and around the ladder disengage in the same way, and these people rise (and feel empowered).

I also remember reading how steve jobs would figure out if someone was a good employee. He would go to their coworkers and say "I hear xxx is shit". If people would defend xxx, then maybe he was ok, while if they didn't say much, maybe xxx was shit.

so... this might be the pattern.