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You can also throw the ball, aka gameification of parts of the activity, so the success nerds can be busy romping and playing, while the other grown ups get on with the actual fun part.

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Unfortunately, "success nerds" end up owning their social status, and they also generate buzz. Frantic activity is a catnip from entrepreneurs, so sooner or later, those "success nerds" end up being the ones making real money off their "success", and as money tends to corrupt things, your activity becomes controlled by the "success nerds", for their own benefit, and the benefit of their sponsors.

See also the Iron Law of Bureaucracy[0], which is closely related[1].

EDIT:

The "success nerds" are usually the grown-ups, encouraged by non-participating grown-ups who see the entire activity as just a money printer.

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[0] - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iron_law_of_oligarchy

[1] - I don't think it's an accident. Those are the same group dynamics at play.

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