The contempt hierarchy in the finance world is essentially a self-deceiving game about "who is closer to the money."

There's an old saying on Wall Street: hierarchy is everything. High-frequency quantitative traders look down on hedge funds, private equity/venture capital despise asset management, investment banks look down on consulting—everyone thinks they are at the top of the food chain. But ironically, the ones who make the most money in the end are often the salespeople everyone looks down on.
This reminds me of the soul-searching question in that article from The New York Times: What exactly are Wall Street people doing? The answer is frighteningly vague. The financial industry has expanded from 10% to 25% of corporate profits, while the wages of ordinary people have stagnated for a generation.
The so-called contempt hierarchy is just vanity covering up anxiety. Truly top-tier talent? They might have long since left this game.