A few notes.

If you're an AAirpass customer, and you pay for your companion's ticket, you get his/her miles, including his/her bonus miles. So, if you've got status, and always fly with a companion, you're earning FOUR times as many miles as you actually fly. According to the Exec desk, this is how most of the 10MM+ guys get there.

I've started asking the Exec Desk people I speak with about the highest number they've ever seen, and the highest they report is under 30M. Two of them were indignant that if there was anyone higher "Of course we'd know about it."