Listing in large exchangers is not a guarantee that the price will double up to 100x because everything depends on the project itself and the product produced. Many tokens or coins are listed in large exchangers but in the end are delisted due to investor confidence that results in a decrease in transaction value.
yes you are all right not depending on where they are listing, but the fact is that most people still rely heavily on large exchanges as a reason for the pump, there are still many who don't care to do more research on the project
For some investors, they tend to invest in coins that are going to be listed at major exchanges and will then sell them all to make a profit. I think this is called speculation and certainly a lot of people will enjoy investing this way. Personally, I would love to invest in these coins because this is often an opportunity to make a profit if you have a reasonable speculation strategy.