There's a theory that the second-level, C-suite employees all are entered into a gladiator contest to get the giant extra bump in pay that comes with being chosen to be CEO. So they work with great energy and ingenuity to make things happen, hoping for this 5x bump in pay.

Only one of them gets it, and he/she may be erratic in the very top role. But the next layer repopulates and the process continues.