CEO is one of the least meritocratic jobs ever. It’s all just vibes, and the vibes are based off of what school you went to, who your parents know, where you grew up. Deep down they probably know this hence the insecurity. If it were a meritocracy they’d be toppled fast.

Can we agree that you are exaggerating? Not that you are totally wrong, but the flip side is, that ceos do need a different skillset. Workers who excel at the bureaucratic grind might not make the best leaders for lack of vision and empathy. Then again the concept of an empathic leader also seems to be foreign to many. It's hard to see anything with all the bullshit covering everything.