It’s certainly true in the tech industry that those who devote all their energy into engineering solutions often end up being outmanouvered by those who spent more of it on corporate politics.

Actually, as someone who’s spent a great deal of time in academia, the stakes are anything but small to the people there. There’s very little room for meaningful career advancement and since the job market for academics is far smaller than that of other professions, people guard their positions very carefully indeed – in addition to playing nasty politics for the limited promotion opportunities.