>> But ultimately many succeeded.
Yes. That's true.

The question is .. what happens to those who can't make it through the obstacle course.
When my grandsons practice soccer, the coach has the team do laps around the field.
With almost mathematical perfection, the pack of about 20 kids starts to stretch out almost immediately.
Inevitably it winds up with a large group in the middle, some whizzes who leave everyone behind, and some stragglers.

Our culture is doing a great job of making opportunities for the whizzes who lead the pack.

The middle and the stragglers are not doing as well as they once did and that's an issue for all of us.
We are in the process of creating a permanent underclass and that's not good.
Anyone who claims to have "the answer" is either a demagogue or a fool. It's complicated.