I agree with the first half of this, but completely disagree with the second.
I don’t think it hurts at all to play the GPA game for class rank - my pups were val and sal, with perfect SAT scores and 4.0 UW GPA - and ended up at Columbia and Stanford.
They played the game out of financial necessity - they understood a full ride to Flagship State was on the table. There’s nothing wrong with top kids challenging themselves, and having a bit of a competitive streak, while performing exceptionally well. Having a competitive side does not mean a kid doesn’t have to be nice.