My parents nor did any parent step in to help me on this application or the approval processes. Furthermore, the approvals didn't get "rammed through". It took me quite a bit to actually acquire their entitlements and app review approval. I dislike when people assume just because I live in "Silicon Valley" I automatically have everything handed to me. If you would like to learn more about how the processes that I took to achieve this feel free to ask!
Proximity to some of the country's best high schools, universities, and the people who work there, as well as some of the most unique industries in the country, could have played a role. In other places, if not most, people don't even know these things exist. Everyone has the internet, sure, and anyone from anywhere can learn about anything, but it's hard to compete with people who encountered useful/the right information early in life.
It's not cynical, and even if it doesn't apply here, the truth is it's frequently the case. I agree it's wrong to generalize and to oversimplify but it's also wrong to ignore the role that wealth and proximity to information play in a person's life. (Again, not saying that's the case here. The title is asking for this discussion. And frankly why can't people express this view?)
The average person like you or me would never get the approvals rammed through at Google.