i don't think you realize what it means to have a polytechnic or even better normal sup ulm diploma.

those schools don't draft people based on bullshit application. It's a super super hardcore science exam that only a few dozen people per year pass. It's a bit like the putnam, with bachelor-level math and physics curriculum.

The mistake people make in France is to conclude that people coming from those schools will be good at just any position, management, running a huge company, etc. But in that specific case, they'll actually be doing hardcore science and ML all day long. It makes perfect sense.

I do agree those people are good in hard sciences. I did those exams and they're hard.

About your comment about putting people in positions because of those diplomas, it's also because of the network you acquire at those kinds of schools, and cronyism. Granted, this kind of cronyism is less worse than in others countries where it can be more pernicious and less official :-)