At least in some circles, meritocracy seems to have a strong bearing on success.

A good example is Linus Torvalds. He dreamed up Linux, which is an outside-the-park home run. Then he thought up Git, which is another runaway winner.

As a programmer, I am happy with my own skill set. But I recognize that Linus plays in a whole other league.

There are others that are likewise serial succeeders, and in different disciplines. P Diddy (nee Puff Daddy) is an example here. This guy just digs and digs until he succeeds.

So I don't buy into the idea that external forces are the reason for others' successes. I just think some people are gifted and they exploit what they've got.