it depends greatly on your definition of "best people". What I observed during my career is that no matter how much emphasis we put on things like schools, the best predictor of success is the quality and the composition of the organization. I've seen best people from other companies perform horribly, and people you wouldn't bet on with a sane mind go and do admirable things. Over time I learned to just let go of most of what my instinct tell me about perceived performance in tech work because frankly most of what we know and believe is bullshit.