@ginnyleads: The people who climbed the highest often have the least real say over anything that matters to them. Titles are cheap. Even equity, on paper, gets controlled by boards and investors who make the actual decisions. So you reach the top and find you're a well-paid figurehead of a system you didn't design and can't change. Ever watched someone reach the top and realize they got there with less freedom than when they started? Tell me in the comments.