The way the money is made, and whether something must be done to sustain it, has an impact. If you're an executive in a traditional corporation, you're end up having to keep an absurd lifestyle because you're a professional social climber and, the minute you retire from the shenanigans, your earned income drops dramatically. If you made your money in a lump-sum acquisition, or have a high salary because of talent and skills rather than social advantage (it's rare, but it does happen) you're in more of a position to enjoy your money.
At the upper tier of wealth you have people who aren't social climbers per se but are really competitive. Next down, you have most of the social climbers trying to turn their money into status (which begets more money).
Actually I was an executive at a traditional corporation (a GM at Microsoft) and before that a founder/CTO at a venture-funded startup ... You're very right that there's a lot of competitive pressure (and social climbers) but we always avoided it.
At the upper tier of wealth you have people who aren't social climbers per se but are really competitive. Next down, you have most of the social climbers trying to turn their money into status (which begets more money).