[herf]

I think the big variable is how fast your organization is growing, and not so much the "kind" of organization.

If you are in a place where everything's growing (more funding, more revenue), all your peers will get promoted with you, and you won't have to compete (or behave in a zero-sum way) to do it. Cultures develop "politics" in different ways, but I think the unifying theme is zero-sum behavior.

The average age of tenure has gone up over the last 30 years, which suggests fewer early-career opportunities and more competition. But there are tech companies that double their employee count every year, which has a very different feel.