All organisms have parasites. Executives are the parasites towards the top of a corporation pyramid. Unfortunately they are also essential for the working of a large organization, because of the need to organize large groups in pyramid structure.

Frequently executives have very outdated skills, or even no real skills in the area they are working in. Their real skills are in playing politics, going to meetings, wandering around giving orders, self-justification and backstabbing. They are like paying taxes (or bribes), or having to employ feminists to meet an affirmative action target. They are corporate 'overhead'.

The executive stands between the upper level (who have to answer to the owners) of an organization, and the lower level who actually do the work. In order to survive, he (or she) takes credit for anything that works out well, and passes the buck when something goes badly.

The overhead of the executive is one of the best explanations of why self-organizing systems are generally more efficient than organized ones.

Occasionally, in a leftist whine about 'discrimination', the media roll out some aging executive who has been been rolled in a political coup, been 'downsized' and is then unable to find another job.

Rarely, if ever, are these people asked "so what are your actual skills?" because then the reason for their plight would become obvious. Someone who regards it as their right to be paid a massive salary simply to wander around giving useless orders is something which well-run companies avoid.