[farnsworthy]

Not being permitted to do my job.

Yes, I'd love to help you, if only you'd let me. Won't you let me?

But you won't, because you can't seem to control yourself--it's like a compulsion to self-sabotage. (Similar to what happens to creative works in the entertainment industries. Too many cooks...)

And it isn't the CEO, who is typically a practical business guy, enjoyable to speak and deal with. He's never the problem (and it's best to deal with him directly when possible, no matter your role). Instead it's the VPs and CTOs and others in lead or similar roles, who are inherently political creatures. Witness there the worst sort of decisions in everything from hiring to "culture" to technical and business strategies.

Personified, the typical company is a capricious and self-defeating entity.

What was the question again? Oh yes, here's me trying to write an app, up against all that...