Arien. I'm not sure if your comment was directed at me or not, but I'll assume that it was and answer accordingly.

If they were smarter than me then they could advance themselves simply by doing a better job than me, with absolutely no need to resort to the tactics described.

The fact is that I got my job on merit alone, and not with the help of any contact within the company.

I applied my knowledge and experience to the job in hand, and in doing so, I embarrassed these guys and exposed them for the frauds that they were.

If you think it's smart to obtain a job by deception, and to keep that job by maintaining the deception, then don't expect any respect from me.