Good question. It has taken me half a lifetime puzzling over this. IMO these people are sociopaths, driven by a need to control others. They have no fear of God for their immoral and illegal actions and they're ignorant of the Biblical warning about gaining the whole world only to lose your soul. Their god is power, evermore power, and it has totally corrupted them.
Total agreement. They have believed the first lie that the Evil One told our First Parents in the Garden - that is that God is not to be believed, trusted or obeyed.
The temptation is that man can, unaided, ascend to a higher place if he frees himself from God.
Sounded good then - still does. Adam and Eve bought it and it’s bought to this day.