Definition of “elite”: it is the stratum of strong cultural inbreeding (nepotism, cronyism are a subset) where a) “Who you know > what you know” is strongly true b) almost everybody knows almost everybody < = 2 degrees By this definition I’m not elite. Where’s my pitchfork?
Both are established connotations of the world, and not necessarily in conflict. Talent and integrity don’t always go together. Lance Armstrong was an elite athlete in both senses of the word: a talented cheat.