Titles are cheap; competence is expensive.

Status can be claimed instantly, but capability can only be built through evidence and repetition. The modern world rewards signals, yet reality rewards execution.

In most environments, prestige is treated as an input: a credential, a role, a label, a narrative. It is cheaper than ever to manufacture, and easier than ever to mistake for substance. The danger is not only that weak people gain influence; it is that serious people start optimizing for recognition instead of results. When the scoreboards are social, the incentive is to look finished rather than to become effective. The price is paid later: in fragile organizations, unearned authority, and projects that collapse under real load.