[this_user]

That is not only true for tech companies like that but also for instance for top tier investment banks and consulting firms. They hire only the best and brightest and then relegate them to juggling spreadsheets and Powerpoint presentations. It seems to be more about being able to say that your people are the best and brightest (and charging appropriately) than about actually leveraging their skills.

[hkmurakami]

In mgmt consulting at least, being bright is actually important because it is immensely important to be able to put on a guise of competence and mastery to your client even when you have no idea wtf is going on. "Looking and sounding the part" is one of the selection factors.

My friend once told me that the most important skill he picked up at one of the big 3 firms is to appear utterly confident in his ideas and proposals when in reality, he had no idea what he was talking about. (then again, these guys will then turn it around and actually learn a crap ton about the industry in the following 2 days by pouring over research)

[Terr_]

> to appear utterly confident in his ideas and proposals

I'm sure this clip has probably crossed your screen before, but I think that protagonist eventually realizes he has to out-BS the BS: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BKorP55Aqvg

[Balgair]

Ehh. Maybe, but I doubt it. It seems like they are just people that were born lucky (mostly) and followed every single little rule ever. Yeah, they worked hard, no doubt, but to say that they are the best and brightest isn't true. If they were, we'd see a lot more Nobels and such out of them.