Spot on.
Especially now, Intel managers are all about self-preservation and survival. Hard-chargers and those they perceive as ambitious or threatening will be first to go. The safest employees in the current environment are those who are allied with "chosen" managers and fine with toiling in obscurity (i.e. giving their managers credit for their work) and not ask for promotion..or anything. Somebody's gotta do the work.
"@jtw, it does not work. If a lower grade shows he can do higher grade work, he will be viewed as threat, will be the target for backstabbing, I have seen this. A grade8 is way better than grade9, but he got ISP. I moved out of the team after seeing this, but I am facing very similar situation in the new team for couple of years. This is Intel culture. Need find job outside Intel"