Nobody fact checks anymore. All you have to do is claim to do something, or claim to know something, and smile and look good while doing it, and people will believe you. Why go through the effort of actually learning or doing anything if you can just talk and be a "thought leader?" Even better, find someone else who actually does things but isn't as slick and polished a personality, wait for them to do it, then take credit. Do that over and over, and now you have a "track record" of success, and you'll start getting invited to speaking gigs, offered membership on company boards, sought out as a mentor, all for doing nothing but sounding really good. This is the foundation of leadership and career mobility in lots of companies.