This is mostly true for IC roles. Politics of the company are learned and are increasingly important beyond that point. People generally need to learn how to influence and how to whip votes for certain objectives to become a priority or receive budget dollars. Being smart might help but isn’t always a solution but having a mentor in the process or having been coached through similar activities can be a big help. They also generally need to learn how to lead/grow/manage a team of IC's and eventually team of managers as part of their responsibilities. Even smart people are usually born without that ability. Some people have a head start if they have taken leadership roles elsewhere in their life. YMMV but this is applies to most corporate cultures that I have experienced over my career.