I should clarify this behavior is mostly at larger companies... and although it's my anecdotal piece, it is what I've consistently seen at different companies and what my friends tell me they've experienced at other large companies. I've also worked at smaller places and this behavior was not as prevalent since everyone knows everyone on the dev team.

Also, at larger companies your manager tends to reorg. I've gone through 5 managers in a single year before. And with them goes all the goodwill you built up during that time. New manager comes in, and it basically resets your 'perception' factor. The old manager might tell the new manager that some people are good, but you have to get lucky to get the new manager to care, because they haven't seen the results with their own eyes yet. That small time window is when it's ripe for someone to swoop in and claim ownerships of projects, while smooching up to the new manager. That's what happened with the senior dev I saw, but he had aces up his sleeves. What an epic showdown.

Yea, I should leave probably, but it's just one burning ship to another. That's our fundamental reality.